Australian tourists are returning to Bali in greater numbers than ever before, according to newly released tourism statistics and information from key airlines.
“Advance bookings dropped off for a period prior to December but there has been a lot of last-minute bookings for the Christmas and New Year periods,” Jetstar spokeswoman Simone Pregellio said. “And our premium flights, like the Saturday Melbourne to Bali route, are absolutely full.”
Garuda’s Jane Milojevic concurred. “We’re confident that Bali will emerge pretty well during the start of 2009, as people make their holiday plans and they start to consider the great value Bali offers”.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show Bali remains the third-most popular foreign holiday destination for that country, behind only Thailand and New Zealand.
Indonesian records put Australian arrivals in Bali to the end of September, 2008 at about 230,000, with officials hoping this figure will swell to 350,000 next year.
