Indonesia's Bali reopens to international tourists, but with no flights

Indonesia’s holiday island of Bali reopened to foreign tourists after 18 months of pandemic hiatus on Thursday, but the island is lacking one crucial ingredient: international flights. Tourism-reliant Bali is scheduled to reopen on Thursday and though its Ngurah Rai international airport has carried out simulations preparing for tourists to return, it is not expecting much to happen soon. “So far there is no schedule,” said Taufan Yudhistira, a spokesman for the airport. Indonesia’s tight immigration measures during the pandemic have devastated the island, with widespread closures of hotels, shops and businesses. The government is eager to revive Bali’s beleaguered tourism industry in response to a sharp fall in new coronavirus cases since July, when Indonesia was Asia’s COVID-19 epicentre. But details about the reopening, such as visa requirements and which countries they apply to, have so far been patchy. Indonesia only confirmed the 19 eligible countries in a statement late on Wednesday, which include China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, and several countries from Western Europe and the Arabian Gulf.<br/>