As elsewhere, the pandemic has hit tourist destinations in Indonesia hard. But with relaxed boundaries, a refreshed spirit and refurbished properties, the island is finally ready to meet you again.
If President Joe Biden visits Michael Ellis Taylor’s Los Jefes Tequila Bar + Kitchen during his visit to Bali for the G20 summit in mid-November, Taylor will enjoy several tacos at the Commander-in-Chief’s restaurant name.
Then again, if we’re being completely honest, whether it’s a famous politician, a local pop star, or a newlywed from Pennsylvania who walks in, Taylor is happy for someone to come back and order drinks and food.
“We started marketing again in December 2021, and we’ve seen double-digit growth every month since then,” said Taylor, a Texas native who opened in November 2019. “I can tell from the footfall that tourism is coming back”
The road to recovery is of course arduous. The pandemic has devastated tourism in Asia, as it has done almost everywhere else on Earth, and Bali has been hit especially hard. Before the arrival of COVID-19, the Indonesian island received an average of about 6.5 million tourists a year. In 2020, that number dropped to about 1 million, most of which arrived at the beginning of the year. By 2021, that total has plummeted. Some figures show the number of international guests has dropped to 45.
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“In tourism, it’s one thing after another,” said Gilda Sagrado, a public relations representative for the Bali Tourism Board. “We had SARS. We had bird flu. In the 1980s, we had the Gulf War. (COVID) was more severe in the sense that there was one whole world.”
With businesses shutting down and professionals like Sagrado seeking help in villages for essentials like eggs, positive news is desperately needed on the island. Some finally arrived in November 2020, when it was announced that the 2022 G20 summit would be held in Bali, a move that at least hinted at better days ahead.
The next big international headlines will come in February 2022, when the island begins receiving direct flights again and the strictest quarantine policies are lifted. On March 31 this year, Indonesia lifted all quarantine requirements. On May 20, the order to wear masks was lifted.
Finally, last November, President Biden and other world leaders met for the G20 summit, a meeting not only aimed at showcasing global economic solidarity — the summit’s motto is “Recover Together, Recover Stronger” south of Bali — but also to highlight An island that can handle large-scale events in the post-coronavirus world.
“We (have) a lot of journalists coming here,” said Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya, former chairman of the Bali Tourism Board. “It (was) on TV and in newspapers all over the world. People would ask, ‘What is this country? (G20 is) a government thing, but for us in tourism, that’s what we want — — Coverage.”
The health of the island’s high-end tourism sector can provide a clear indication of how well the overall message is being conveyed. Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay and Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan Bay, two distinctly luxurious sister properties, are both thriving like they were three or four years ago.
The former resort sits on three miles of sandy beach, lined with for The thatched-roof suites resemble a tranquil Balinese village. Located a 90-minute drive north, Four Seasons Sayan is surrounded by gardens, rice fields and the Ayung River. Sometimes it can be hard to tell exactly where nature stops and stunning resorts begin.
“We’ve seen it all,” said Randy Shimabuku, general manager of the two distinguished hotels. “We’re seeing international tourists from the US, UK, Germany and France. Regionally, we’re seeing a lot of Australians. Parts of Asia are (also) opening up, like Taiwan. Japan (opened its borders) about a month ago. . Asia is still slowly coming back. But everywhere else in the world, people are coming.”
The lavish address is largely shut down ahead of a delightful turnaround that begins in summer 2022. Some employees had to move back with their families to remote farms. Shimabuku said others had to take pay cuts or retire early. He insisted, though, that Season 4 has gone to great lengths to cut as few staff as possible during the dark times.
The Jimbaran Bay location has also used this time to make cosmetic changes, refurbishing some units and revamping the Healing Village spa. At Sayan, the hotel is honoring the downtime with new experiences, including the immersive Can You Keep a Secret tour, which takes guests on a tour of temples, historic homes and bathing rituals. This all seems to work as well. When Fodor sat with Shimabuku in early November, his property was at 90 percent occupancy.
All of this new excitement is taking place in China – traditionally one of Bali’s strongest international markets – which has largely been sidelined by its still-strict protocols. “From a market standpoint, business is coming back,” said Shimabuku, who also said China accounted for about 20 percent of its Four Seasons business. “But it takes on some different dimensions because we don’t have that much Asian presence (to our clients). China is a huge economic machine. Everywhere they go they change the landscape. They haven’t come back yet. In the long run Look, they’re coming back. They’re part of the economic equation for success.”
Ironically, with nearly every room at the Four Seasons packed and restaurants like Los Jefes returning to pre-pandemic levels of service, the irony is that Bali will now have to revisit the restaurants it opened before it closed. One issue addressed – the impact of overtourism. Well documented in a 2020 Fodor article, the crowds put such a strain on the infrastructure and natural environment of this popular island that Bali makes it to our yearly list of places to get away from humans.
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The government sees this honor as a challenge to transform Bali into a “green island”. Single-use plastic bags, plastic straws and Styrofoam are officially banned. From the city center to the Patong area, recycling is ubiquitous and increasingly part of everyday life. Four Seasons Series strictly follows a series of sustainable and waste reduction measures. Yes, Scoopy scooters and mini SUVs still hit the streets of Bali, but honest environmental efforts seem to be happening.
Another concern with Bali’s return is having enough qualified workers to fill all the jobs. “Balinese is in great demand all over the world,” Wijaya said. “Balinese people work on cruise ships, in spas in Russia and hotels in Thailand,” Shimabuku said, adding that the personnel purge has made it difficult to hire as many reliable staff as possible at his resorts.
The staff will come eventually. Everyone who invests in Bali hopes that tourism dollars will continue to flow in as well. Pray that China opens its doors in 2023, allowing international travelers making plans for their next vacation to see G20 footage and recognize an island ready to wow again. If it can host President Biden and his entourage, it can certainly accommodate your birthday holiday.
“Seventy-five percent of our visitors were repeat customers (before the pandemic),” Sagrado said. “Now it’s 60 percent new. It’s their first time here, which is great. What have they heard about Bali and they say, ‘This (trip) has to be done right away?'”
No matter what they are told, the Balinese people just want that message to be repeated over and over again.
