Data from immigration checkpoints at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali for the period of January-August 2023 and January-August 2024 shows a significant increase in the number of foreign nationals (WNA) arriving at the airport.
In 2023, during that period, the number of foreign arrivals was 3,641,896. In the same period in 2024, the number of foreign arrivals increased to 4,465,685. This represents an additional 823,789 foreign nationals, or a rise of 22.62%, arriving at Bali’s airport in 2024.
The same trend can be seen in departures. In 2023, 3,666,540 passengers were recorded departing through Ngurah Rai Airport, while in 2024, this number increased to 4,481,939, marking a 22.24% rise. In total, the number of passengers passing through I Gusti Ngurah Rai Bali Airport (both arrivals and departures) from January to August 2024 reached 8,148,479.
“The increase in [foreign arrivals to Bali] is over 20% compared to last year. One contributing factor is the optimization of foreign national services that we have implemented comprehensively, including providing online visa services through the website evisa.imigrasi.go.id. On this site, foreign nationals can apply for all types of Indonesian visas, including visa on arrival (VoA), and even extend their stay permits.
Applications can be submitted anytime and anywhere, with payments made via credit card, similar to online shopping,” said the Director General of Immigration, Silmy Karim, on Thursday (12/09/2024).
He added that in addition to optimizing visa services, Immigration has been operating 60 autogates at the International Arrivals Terminal of Ngurah Rai Airport since March 2024. These autogates can be used by foreign nationals, making immigration clearance faster and more convenient. The immigration check process with the autogate takes only 15-25 seconds per passenger.
The increase in foreign arrivals also reflects the rise in flight activities and passenger movement post-pandemic. Silmy emphasized that the high level of crossings needs to be supported by continuous improvement in digital-based services.
“Currently, the Indonesian government is enforcing a more selective visa policy compared to the pre-pandemic period. Countries that previously had visa-free access to Indonesia now mostly need to apply for VoA. However, foreign arrivals are higher now because we’ve made it easier, from applying for VoA online to using autogates for immigration checks at the airport. We aim to provide them with the best experience,” said Silmy.
