Foreign tourist arrivals to Bali declined in January 2026, according to data released by the Bali Provincial Statistics Agency (BPS).
The agency recorded 502,205 international visitors during the month, a decrease of 12.30 per cent compared to December 2025.
The Head of Bali Provincial BPS, Agus Gede Hendrayana Hermawan, said January is typically lower than December due to seasonal patterns.
However, he noted that arrivals also fell compared to the same period last year.
“Under normal conditions, January is actually lower than December. However, compared to January 2025, there was also a 5.23 per cent decrease,” Hermawan said on Monday (2 March 2026), as quoted by DetikTravel.
Most foreign tourists arrived by air. BPS recorded 500,121 arrivals through airports, representing a 10.50% month-on-month decline. Arrivals by sea fell sharply by 84.98% to 2,084 visits.
Australia remained the largest source market, contributing 134,781 visits, or 26.84% of the total foreign arrivals. China followed with 45,896 visits, marking a 22.54% monthly increase. India recorded 37,351 visits, South Korea 27,508, and Russia 24,917.
Despite China’s monthly growth, several major markets registered declines. Australian arrivals fell by 4.4% compared to December. Indian arrivals decreased by 34.77%, South Korea by 9.16%, and Russia by 12.64%.
By region, only the Middle East recorded growth in January.
“The Middle East was the only region to experience an increase in arrivals, with 7,123 visits, a 5.59% increase,” Agus Gede said. Arrivals from Asia, Oceania, Europe, ASEAN, the Americas, and Africa declined.
Domestic Travel Also Slips
BPS also reported a decrease in domestic tourist trips to Bali. In January 2026, the number of domestic visitors reached 2,170,938 trips, down 1.26% from December 2025 and 6.09% compared to January 2025.
“The number of domestic tourist trips is the same as the number of foreign tourists, down 1.26 per cent compared to the previous month and 6.09 per cent compared to the same month last year,” Hermawan said.
The decline was largely influenced by reduced travel from outside Bali. East Java remained the largest contributor of domestic visitors with 173,855 trips, followed by West Java with 54,044, Jakarta with 52,000, and Central Java with 49,362.
All recorded month-on-month decreases.
Hermawan said global geopolitical developments could affect tourism flows. He noted that the war between the United States and Iran had the potential to disrupt aviation activities.
He stated that the global geopolitical situation was seriously disrupting aviation operations, which could in turn impact Bali’s tourism sector.
Hotel Occupancy Rates Decline
The drop in visitor numbers was reflected in hotel occupancy rates. BPS data showed that the room occupancy rate for star-rated hotels in January stood at 56.67%. This marked a decline of 4.20 percentage points compared to December 2025 and 3.61 percentage points compared to January 2025.
Non-star-rated hotels also recorded lower occupancy. The rate reached 32.7%, down 6.91 percentage points from December and 2.92 percentage points year-on-year.
BPS did not provide projections for the coming months. The agency stated that it would continue monitoring tourism indicators, including international arrivals, domestic trips, and hotel occupancy rates.
