How Bali has changed during the tourist closure: a conversation with Victoria, who has lived in Indonesia for 6 years

In late March, Indonesia reported the first coronavirus case and immediately imposed severe restrictions, one of which was the suspension of tourist visas. It was a huge blow to the island of Bali, which exceeds 50 percent. the economy depends on tourism, and about 70% of the population.

The island, loved by travelers, has repeatedly recovered from the powerful crises, after 2002 and 2005. Terrorist acts took place here, after SARS, outbreaks of bird flu, after the Agung volcano eruption. “But so far not much has been learned from these situations,” 15 minutes declared V.Panovaitė. “Because the tourism hiatus was brief, some declined, but never stopped for almost a year.”

6.3 million people visited Bali last year. Travellers. Throughout October, only 58 foreign tourists arrived on the island. In total, not a million have been received this year. Suddenly losing their livelihood, people who had previously worked with tourists were forced to look for other jobs. Although V. Panovaitė believes that when the flow of tourists returns, the locals will return to their old activities. Just maybe it works differently.

So far, Bali remains closed to foreign tourists, but is wary of the possibility of receiving them again.

About how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed life on the island of Bali, what this forced travel pause means for tourism, and how travelers themselves can often be harmed, even without thinking, in a conversation with a guide travel, organizer, blogger Victoria Panovaite (Instagram: @LifeInBigTent ; FULL BOARD: LifeInBigTent )

– In the summer, travel portals shared photos by photographer John Gwyther that popular tourist destinations now look like a ghost town. How much truth is there in them? How has Bali changed the world since the pandemic and the closure of the island?

– It could divide the period of the pandemic on the island of Bali into several stages. There was chaos in the first months, many things were not clear and no one knew how long it would last. Therefore, with various new restrictions introduced, but people continued to work. There were many foreign travelers left on the island who could not or did not want to return home, so they still used the services of the locals, extended their stays, ate in favorite places.

Later, seeing that the situation would not improve in the near future, when not even Indonesians from other islands would be able to come to the island, tourism-oriented hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues began to gradually close. He no longer had the income to continue his business. Some workers had their wages cut almost in half, others were fired.

Since the beginning of July, when travelers from other Indonesian islands were admitted to Bali with new travel rules, some opened, others worked only for a limited time (for example, a few hours, only on certain days). There has been a slight increase in the number of people arriving, especially on the weekends, during the holidays. However, more and more “trapped” foreign travelers were returning home. Some companies have changed their activities or their offering, focusing more on Indonesian travel habits.

At the end of the summer, people were also allowed to enter Indonesia from abroad, but only for those who had special permits, visas. Many of them went to the island of Bali.

The biggest revival in the tourism sector began to be felt in October, as local travelers began to get bolder, more travel opportunities emerged, and several long holiday weekends arrived. They even caused congestion on some of the roads in Bali because there were many people who wanted to come. At that time the issuance of business visas to foreigners began, with whom a large number of people from abroad also came. More attractions have opened.

And while not everything has returned to normal before the pandemic, much more life has emerged in the cities that are most popular with local travelers, especially now, during the Christmas and New Years period.

Life in non-touristy places in Bali is already flowing as usual. Once there, it appears that there was not even a pandemic. Only the vast majority travel with masks, there are many warning signs about preventive measures against the virus, etc.

The top tourist destinations, especially popular with Australian and Chinese travelers, are still empty, and many are closed.

All news related to travel to and within Indonesia during the pandemic is constantly updated in the blog post and in the “Indonesia Up Close” travel community.

– Without visiting tourists, how do you spend your time in Bali? If I can also ask a personal question, where do you get your income from when tourism stops? Does the tourism sector receive government aid?

– This whole period is much calmer for me than last year. Not only because of the non-arriving travelers who would need my services, but I couldn’t go on the trips myself because they were canceled. But life did not stop.

The way I spend my free time has changed, but I had the opportunity to visit places in Bali where I had not been before. I participated virtually in trainings, seminars, courses. I joined activities that used to be lacking in time or hands. I took care of other domestic and daily affairs. Now that I think it’s been 9 months since the last band I accompanied in Bali, I can’t believe that time has flown by.

I have not received any income from my direct job since March, but I have a small monthly income from the property I rent, I got my money back for canceled trips, I have savings. As the pace of life and circumstances adjusted, the same costs were reduced.

Now that I think it’s been 9 months since the last band I accompanied in Bali, I can’t believe that time has flown by.

Since the pandemic has not only affected the tourism sector, the Indonesian government is providing support in several areas. Some have reduced or deferred taxes, while others, the most difficult to work with, receive small monthly benefits or cannot pay for services (such as water or electricity).

But no matter how pretty things look on paper, people actually need more. Bali, for example, is home to several Indonesians from other islands who have not declared their place of residence here, so they cannot receive financial support and have no money or even anywhere to return to their island.

And indeed a lot of food, victims, various solutions are given to each other by the people themselves, foreigners living here together or abroad and have close local friends in Bali. I myself have donated everything I could to locals I work with in the tourism industry or to strangers altogether.

I know that not everyone feels good asking for help, so when I can I try to give them a job for which I pay the usual “pre-pandemic price” (although there are people who take advantage of the situation and try to get services almost 50% cheaper).

– Crises often also lead to cultural changes. Do you see any signs that tourism in Bali could look different? Could this pandemic be a tipping point from which mass tourism would change for the better: slower and more sustainable travel?

– Yes, there is talk both from the government and some of the Balinese themselves about the desire to change the image of Bali, to attract more travelers who appreciate the slower trips, the quality for which they agree to pay.