An Indonesian minister has stated that the popular tourist hotspot of Bali will move away from being a backpacker island as the country works towards reopening for travelers once more. Bali has long been viewed as one of, if not the definitive backpacker hotspots for decades, and the news is bound to come as a blow to grounded backpackers dreaming of traveling once more in the near future.
Bali is not the only destination that will be looking to take the enforced absence of travelers as an opportunity to cast itself in a new light, though it remains to be seen how effective the minister’s campaign will be at rebranding the wildly popular island. Here’s a look at what the minister said about Bali and how the island’s plans to reopen are going.
Bali – No Longer For Backpackers?Â
For many travelers, Bali is synonymous with backpackers. A serial winner of blog posts counting down the top backpacking hotspots in the world, Bali is capable of attracting upwards of 6m foreign tourists a year in non-pandemic times, many of which are backpackers ticking the island off of their Southeast Asia bucket lists and take in the wonder of its temples, beaches and bars. However, backpackers are far from the only types of travelers flocking to the island’s shores.
Whilst hostels in high season may be fully booked and street food businesses booming, Bali also has a lot to offer for the luxury-orientated traveler. High-end beach clubs, fancy resorts and fine dining establishments have a sizeable presence on the island to attract the more discerning traveler – and it is these markets that politicians in the country want to target once the borders reopen, as the island tries to remarket itself and shake off its backpacker image.
This is an excerpt from an article by Kyle Hulme, originally published by Travel Off Path.
