At least 1,600 international visitors have arrived in Bali since the island reopened on February 4, a senior minister has said.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan, who oversees the handling of COVID-19 in Indonesia, recently told a press briefing that visitors from Russia and Australia dominate the number of newcomers to Bali, followed by travelers from France, the United States and the Netherlands. .

“Since Bali reopened to foreign tourists, more than 1,600 foreign tourists have arrived as of Feb. 26,” Luhut said.

He added that half of new arrivals decided to go through the “bubble” quarantine system, in which they were allowed to use hotel facilities outside their rooms.

Also read: Bali offers ‘bubble’ quarantine packages for international travelers as government plans to scrap requirement in April

The news is a breath of fresh air for Bali, which has seen its tourism sector (the bread and butter of the island’s income) devastated since the start of the pandemic.

I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport has also been busy since February, having served a total of 387,574 passengers (domestic and international), up 148 percent from the same period a year ago. A total of 3,098 international passengers (both departing and arriving) were included in these figures.

Other tourist destinations have also benefited from the gradual rise of Balinese tourism.

About 1,000 foreign tourists flocked to Gili Matra, a small resort island in West Nusa Tenggara, three days before Nyepi (Day of Silence), according to Lalu Kusnawan, the president of the Gili Hotel Association. The island of Bali was closed for 24 hours as locals observed the holy day, which fell yesterday.