Following the removal of quarantine requirements and the introduction of the Visa on Arrival (VOA) policy for 42 countries, international tourists arriving in Bali are beginning to return. On March 31st, two group tours with a total of 50 participants from Poland landed in Bali for their holiday. These group tours were handled by Panorama Destination (PDES), a subsidiary of PT Panorama Sentrawisata Tbk (PANR) that specializes in managing foreign tourists visiting Indonesia.

By the first half of 2022, Panorama Destination had already received bookings for 4,500 people from various countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa to holiday in Indonesia. "Previously, we had received some international tourists, but in individual or private group forms. With the arrival of this first group tour from Poland, we hope inbound tourism can recover quickly, allowing us to reach pre-pandemic performance levels," said Ricky Setiawanto, Director of Panorama Destination.

The company has been actively communicating with travel agents abroad to sell holiday packages to Indonesia, especially since Bali has now reopened. "The South African market is also enthusiastic about Bali reopening. We receive bookings from our agents there every day," added Ricky.

AB Sadewa, Corporate Secretary of PT Panorama Sentrawisata Tbk (PANR), also suggested that the VOA policy should be implemented at other international airports in Indonesia, not just in Bali, to increase and spread out the number of foreign visitors. "The arrival scheme for foreign nationals and international tourists can follow the model in Bali, as foreign visits to Indonesia are not only for leisure, but also for business and MICE. This can help recover the broader tourism ecosystem. Furthermore, it would be unfortunate if international flight routes are being operated by airlines but the visa system still doesn't support VOA," said Sadewa.

The arrival process for international tourists was generally smooth, though it took some time. "We landed at 8 PM and only left the airport at 11 PM. It took a while for document checks, especially for health documents like vaccination certificates, hotel booking confirmations, and proof of insurance. Also, we had difficulty downloading the Peduli Lindungi app due to our different SIM cards," said Szymon Chojnacki, a Polish tour participant.

Language barriers during document checks and internet connection issues due to different SIM cards were noted as areas for improvement for the airport operators. Additionally, the airport's limited operating hours could be addressed, considering the journey for international tourists starts upon arrival at the airport.