LONDON – Singapore Airlines is going to return to Bali in mid-February, meaning that the area of Bali is going to get a much-needed tourism boost from Singapore.

Alvin Seah, Singapore Airlines’ general manager for Indonesia, said that the airline will recommence its daily Singapore-Bali flights starting February 16.

“The resumption of the daily flights to Bali represents Singapore Airlines’ long-term commitment to help grow Indonesia’s tourism industry,” Alvin said in a statement.

The Indonesian government has not issued any statements on travel requirements for this route.

However, it is likely that this route would be part of a quarantine-free travel bubble as teased by senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan last week.

Indonesia recently waived its quarantine requirements for Singaporeans to visit neighboring islands Batam and Bintan, as long as they are fully vaccinated and have a negative COVID test.

The government said it was considering extending that travel bubble to Bali, calling on airlines – specifically for Singapore Airlines – to re-establish a direct route between Singapore and Bali.

Bali’s international tourism was off to a rough start when they launched the program back in October 2021.

It was so bad, that an official said that since the opening there has not been one single international flight landing in the airport.

Prior to the reopening, the island saw just 45 international tourists arriving in the first 10 months of 2021.

Tourism operators have lamented Indonesia’s strict travel restrictions and have called for exceptions to be made for Bali’s tourists.

Bali welcomed 6 million tourists back in 2019, but when the pandemic started, the island – which is highly reliant on tourism – came to a standstill.

Things began looking up towards the end of 2021, with domestic tourists arriving in large numbers to give the island’s economy a lifeline.