Indonesia is ready to see Australians return to Bali before the year is up, and is prepared to begin discussions with the Morrison government about the #ArrivalRevival, according to a report by the Sydney Morning Herald.
Last week, the Indonesian government announced it was set to reopen Bali on 14 October to international travellers from South Korea, China, Japan, United Arab Emirates and New Zealand, after being closed for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, Indonesia has stated it is ready when Australia is, to welcome Australian travellers back to the island.
It is expected that the Indonesian government will discuss reopening plans with the Morrison government as soon as Australia is ready to.
In a recent interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno said Australia was very important to Bali’s reopening plans.
“If you guys are ready to discuss [travel to Bali] I’m ready in 15 minutes. You are our No.1 tourist market and we need to make sure that you guys are comfortable before we initiate the discussions. But we’re ready anytime,” Uno said.
All international arrivals to Bali must show proof of hotel bookings for a mandatory eight-day quarantine.
The pre-Christmas reopening rush is just beginning, with Fiji over the weekend announcing that it will be opening borders to international visitors from December 1, 2021, including Australians.
“To our friends in Australia and New Zealand and to the residents of other countries we’re preparing to welcome, our message is simple: Fiji is ready to welcome you back to our shores,” said Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.
Fiji, which is ready to safely welcome travellers back after reaching the vaccination milestone of 80% of its eligible population being fully vaccinated, will still have some travel requirements in place to provide a level of assurance to both its visitors and its locals.
These will include:
- Being a fully vaccinated traveller from a “Travel Partner” country (defined as one with high vaccination rates and low-test positivity rates, such as Australia)
- Providing a negative PCR test taken less than 3 days prior to departure from your home country
- Fulfilling any obligation to take an additional test prior to returning home, based on individual home country requirements
- Unvaccinated children under the age of 18 will be able to travel to Fiji accompanied by a vaccinated adult
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