DENPASAR - Bali Governor Wayan Koster has dismissed negative news regarding the development of tourism on the Island of the Gods that has recently emerged through social media during the Christmas and New Year 2026 holiday momentum.
"The increase in tourist visits means that (information related to deserted tourists) on social media is hoax," said Bali Governor Wayan Koster to ANTARA on the sidelines of reviewing the 2026 Christmas and New Year transportation post at Benoa Port, Denpasar, Bali, Wednesday, December 24.
There is a narrative that is breathed through social media, namely the view of Bali tourism is quiet during the peak holiday season of Christmas and New Year.
According to him, the information has no basis because the reality on the ground is that the arrival of foreign tourists in Bali has actually increased.
The head of the district from Buleleng Regency said that during the period from January to December 22, 2025, a total of 6.8 million foreign tourists had vacationed in Bali.
The interim achievement even surpassed the realization during 2024 which at that time reached as much as 6.3 million.
The realization of foreign tourist arrivals in 2024 also increased by 20.1 percent compared to 2023 with 5.27 million.
Koster added that when the holiday season began at the end of the year from 19 to 22 December 2025, the average number of foreign tourists arriving in Bali per day reached 20 thousand people.
With this daily number, he is optimistic that by the end of 2025, the total number of foreign tourists vacationing in Bali is estimated to reach 7 million people.
"Until December 31, 2025, (the number of foreign tourists) will reach a figure of around 7 million. That means from 6.3 million to 7 million will increase, not decrease," he added.
For domestic tourists, the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of Indonesia (PHRI) in Badung Regency, Bali is estimated to have reached 9 million and is projected to reach 10.5 million by the end of 2025.
Previously, the social media world circulated negative narratives related to tourism in the province of Bali, one of which was about tourism that was quiet and even compared to countries in the Southeast Asian region, one of which was Thailand.
The Deputy Chairman of the Badung Regency PHRI Komang Alit Ardana on a separate occasion earlier estimated that the issue was blown out by competitors.
"It's not fair if Bali is compared to the countries of Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand. We must play a role in exciting and answering this issue. Bali is still worth visiting and the best destination," he said.
Meanwhile, based on data from the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, during the Christmas and New Year 2025 transportation period on December 15 to December 23, 2025, the movement was dominated by the arrival flow both domestic and international.
For domestic arrivals during that period reached 126,152 people and international reached 192,960 people.
Meanwhile, the average per day during the holiday period reached 67,112 people per day with an average of 423 aircraft movements per day.
Meanwhile, of the total 510 extra flight applications submitted by airlines, 128 flights have been realized so far with the most routes from Jakarta and Surabaya as well as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Perth.
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