Jakarta/Denpasar. Tourism in Bali remains relatively stable despite escalating conflict in the Middle East, although the island has seen a short-term decline in arrivals from the region and several international flight cancellations.

“There has been a decrease in foreign tourist arrivals in the past four days, around 800 people per day from the Middle East,” Bali Governor Wayan Koster said Thursday during a beach clean-up event at Jimbaran Beach in Badung.

The drop is largely linked to airspace disruptions across parts of the Middle East, which have forced airlines to cancel flights and adjust transit routes. Many travelers from Europe normally reach Bali through hubs such as Dubai or Doha due to the absence of direct flights from most European cities.

Data from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport shows that at least 35 international flights were canceled between Feb. 28 and March 4, including services operated by Etihad Airways, Emirates, and Qatar Airways on routes connecting Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Doha with Denpasar.

Koster said airlines are expected to reroute flights through alternative hubs such as Singapore or Thailand as travelers and carriers adjust to the new conditions.

Despite the disruptions, Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said Bali’s tourism sector has remained resilient.

“We are monitoring the global situation very seriously. However, data on the ground shows that Bali’s tourism performance in recent weeks remains stable, with hotel occupancy rates still well maintained,” Widiyanti said in a statement Thursday.

Government data indicates that in Badung Regency — Bali’s main tourism hub — about 52% of hotels reported occupancy rates between 41% and 69%, while 36% recorded occupancy levels between 70%and 80%.

In nearby Gianyar Regency, around 53.8% of hotels reported occupancy between 41% and 69%, with another 23.1% reaching 70% to 80% occupancy. A smaller share of hotels even reported occupancy rates above 80%.

Widiyanti said the figures show that most properties remain in the medium-to-high occupancy category, suggesting tourism activity on the island continues to run normally despite geopolitical tensions.

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