Indonesia is keen to welcome Aussie tourists back to Bali as soon as next month, with a bubble discussion happening in Canberra. But, with international borders still firmly closed, will this bubble burst or stay afloat?
In bubble news, there’s talk that Indonesia would like to welcome Australian holidaymakers back to Bali from as early as next month.
Bali reopened to domestic tourists on July 31 and its provincial government is scheduled to reopen the borders to international tourism on September 11.
Could the Bali Bubble happen?
According to a report in the Australian, Indonesia is negotiating with Canberra to make an Aus-Bali bubble agreement.
Luhut Pandjaitan, the Co-ordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, told the Australian that Indonesia is carefully selecting ‘safe’ countries to negotiate travel deals with.
However, despite Indonesia’s enthusiasm and the deep longing that some Aussie’s have for overseas travel right now, there doesn’t seem much hope for this bubble to be a reality in 2020.
The federal government’s decision to keep Australia’s borders closed and the rising number of cases point towards a longer wait to visit the island that so many Aussies love to escape to.
Phil Turtle, Australia Indonesia Business Council president, Told the Australia a travel bubble between the countries was “a great ambition”.
“We would certainly view it positively if and when it can be implemented… but (Australians) can’t even travel internally at the moment,”
“I would think it would be very unlikely to happen before the end of the year, but it would be wonderful if it did happen.”
READ: Bali May Reopen For Tourism From As Early As October
More bubble proposals
With plenty of bubble talk, it seems that Australia might make deals with New Zealand, Fiji, and Vanuatu, before Indonesia, but we will have to watch this space and see what happens.
Which travel bubble are you holding out for? Let us know! editor@karryon.com.au
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