Bali governor backtracks on false claims about sharp decline in tourism
Every year a well-known claim circulates on social media: Bali is ‘quiet’, ’empty’ or ‘not worth visiting at the moment’.
On December 24, 2025Bali’s top official decided to publicly refute that story and name it wrong information instead of a measurable decline.
During a visit to Benoa Port in Denpasar, Governor Wayan Koster rejected reports of the “tourism decline” at the end of the year, saying: “We have registered an increase in tourist visits, which means that (claims about the decline in tourism) on social media are a hoax.”
The governor’s rebuttal was accompanied by concrete counts. Local news sources say Bali has received 6.8 million foreign tourists this yearsurpasses the 6.3 million registered in 2024, with an average daily arrival of foreigners of approx 20,000 between December 19 and 22.
In addition to the above figures, reports show that Bali is expected to receive more than 1.5 million visitors during this Christmas holiday.
Why Bali can feel ‘busy’ and ‘uneven’ at the same time
The ’empty Bali’ debate is less about total arrivals and more about where travelers stay and spend.
Bali Expat, summarizing the local reporting, quoted Koster and emphasized that arrivals have increasedBut Hotel occupancy has not always increased in parallelwhich he linked to the growth of non-hotel accommodations, such as Airbnb-style stays.
That division is important for what visitors experience. Certain hotel zones may report lower occupancy levels, while road corridors, beach clusters and residential areas remain busy – especially in southern Bali in late December.
The strongest real-time indicator: airport traffic
In addition to tourism comparisons, airport throughput is a direct indicator of whether an island is ’empty’. ANTARA reported that I included Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport 126,152 passengers in domestic arrivals And 192,960 in international arrivals from December 15 to 23, along with an average of 67,112 arriving passengers per day And 423 flight movements during the same period.
For travelers this means two practical outcomes: The demand for transport remains highand congestion is more likely to occur in late December traffic and transfer delays then like empty beaches.
The biggest constraint this week: weather volatility, not the collapse of tourism
If there is one short-term variable that changes the daily ‘feelings’ of visitors, it is the weather. Indonesia’s meteorological agency, BMKG, has mapped the risk of heavy rain during the Christmas and New Year travel period, highlighting Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara for increased safety monitoring.
At a Climate Outlook 2026 press conference, BMKG head Teuku Faisal Fathani said: “For Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara, rainfall is expected to peak in January, making it a primary security concern during the Christmas and New Year period.”
Another local news outlet echoed these warnings with operational details, summarizing the BBMKG guidelines predicting “moderate to heavy rainfall” in multiple regencies – including Badung, Denpasar, Tabanan and Gianyar – in addition to warnings of high winds and sea states in the southern straits and waters.
What travelers can actually expect in the coming days
The most useful takeaway isn’t whether Bali is empty. It’s how to plan high demand plus variability in the rainy season:
Crowds and traffic: Expect busy conditions in South Bali’s main tourist belt. Even if a beach looks quiet at a certain hour, road travel can still be slow, especially around transfers to and from Denpasar and the airport.
Price behavior: Strong arrivals allow popular villa stock and reliable drivers to book faster. Deals exist, but they are more likely to occur outside the most concentrated southern neighborhoods.
Weather risk management: Build flexibility. Provide indoor alternatives for days of heavy rain, avoid cliff-edge lookouts during downpours, and treat marine warnings seriously when booking fast boats or shore excursions.
Hygiene information: If the line ‘Bali is empty’ is used to sell you an unverified tour, an over-cheap villa or a suspicious transfer, treat it as a risk signal and not a market insight.
Koster’s ‘hoax’ rebuttal is not just a political message; it’s a reminder to prioritize primary indicators – arrival numbers, flight movements and official weather advisories – over social talk. The most accurate snapshot for the end of December 2025 is clearly: Bali receives significant traffic at the end of the yearand so are the planning restrictions that travelers must take seriously disruption of the rainy seasonand not due to a sudden decline in tourism.
