Bali is expected to welcome 1.6 million visitors this year. Most of them are expected to arrive from Japan, Korea and Australia.
Tourism represents a hugely important part of the economy in Bali, with a total of 1.3 million people employed in tourism and related companies. This is a significant figure taking into account that the whole island has a population of 3.3 million.
The theme of the Balinese advertising campaign is ‘beautiful Bali Indonesia’, which places the focus on natural and unspoilt beauty. It has also been pointed out that the Ngurah Rai international airport is more efficient than airports in Spain and Hawaii for example. It is believed to be better because tourists never have to wait there for long periods of time.
The Australian market has been singled out as the most important one. In reaction to the Australian ‘where the bloody hell are you?!’ commercial, Bali has produced its own ‘Aussie, where the Bali hell are ya?!’ advertisement. At a cost of just $3000, posted on the YouTube website, the commercial has proved to be a huge success.
Tourism has been improved and boosted further by the building of numerous luxury hotels. The Italian group Bulgari recently introduced its second luxury hotel in the Balinese south-west region.