Rice terraces in BaliNo. 1

Issue 1 · September 13, 2026

Bali's economy outpaces Indonesia, and more flights head to the island

The first issue covers 6–13 September: the island's second-quarter economy, August arrivals and a run of new air routes. For buyers, the takeaway is simple: demand for Bali is holding, and the island is getting easier to reach.

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The week in brief

  1. Bali's economy grew 5.78% in the second quarter
  2. 706,796 foreign visitors arrived in August, with Australia in first place
  3. New routes: Taipei from 1 October, direct flights to Phuket, Europe through a single hub
  4. Tourism in Indonesia drew Rp 73.56 trillion of investment in 2025, 75% of it into hotels and restaurants

Starlux brings back direct Taipei–Denpasar flights from 1 October

Taiwan's Starlux Airlines resumes direct service to Bali on 1 October. The restart was confirmed on 3 September at a meeting between the provincial government of Bali and Taipei's economic and trade office in Surabaya. Frequency and aircraft type have not been announced yet.

What it means: Taiwan is a short flight away, and its travellers come in the low season too. Every route like this adds booked nights to a villa calendar in the months when fewer Europeans travel.

Source: Bali Discovery

Infrastructure

Kimpton enters Indonesia with its first hotel in Ubud

IHG is bringing the Kimpton brand to the country: Kimpton Suntaya Bali Ubud on Jalan Bisma, with 101 rooms. Architecture is by Denton Corker Marshall and interiors by Threaded Creatives, with local stone, hand-worked timber and Balinese art. There are five dining concepts, two of them from Michelin-starred chef Hirofumi Imamura. The opening date has not been named yet.

What it means: When an international brand arrives in an area for the first time, it lifts the nightly rate benchmark for its neighbours. For villa owners in Ubud, that's a pointer upward on price, not a rival for the same guest.

Source: NOW! Bali · Ubud: prices and listings

Hotels

AirAsia and Pegasus link Bali to Europe through one hub

AirAsia has signed its first codeshare, with Turkey's Pegasus Airlines. The first phase covers five European destinations: London Stansted, Moscow Vnukovo, Ankara, Zurich and Athens, connecting through Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur–Istanbul goes from four to seven flights a week from February 2027. Between Denpasar and Kuala Lumpur there are now 11–15 flights a day across all carriers, 4–6 of them AirAsia's own.

What it means: Europe gets one connection closer to the island. For buyers, a viewing trip gets cheaper; for owners, the pool of European guests gets wider.

Source: The Bali Sun

Infrastructure

Bali's economy grew 5.78%, faster than the Indonesian average

Bank Indonesia's Bali office reported second-quarter growth of 5.78%, up from 5.58% in the first quarter. Tourism accounts for 98.56% of the province's economic activity and takes 41% of all investment, more than any other sector. Two thirds of the money going into services lands in three places: Badung takes the largest share, Gianyar 15% and Denpasar 10%. The bank is also encouraging investment beyond tourism, into farming and processing.

What it means: Badung covers Canggu, Seminyak, Uluwatu and Jimbaran. That concentration of capital in one regency helps explain why property prices there rise faster than across the island as a whole.

Source: ANTARA News Bali · Canggu: prices and listings

Economy

Work permits for foreigners cut to five days in one system

The ministries of manpower, immigration and investment signed joint decisions that move applications for foreign worker permits into the single Online Single Submission system. Applicants used to deal with three separate agency platforms; now they are connected. Processing takes four to five days. The legal basis is Government Regulation No. 28/2025, and the new procedure starts at the end of September.

What it means: For anyone getting a KITAS through their own PT PMA, the usual route when the company holds the property, the timeline becomes predictable. Before, the wait could drag on with no clear end.

Source: ANTARA News · PT PMA for property

Law

Preferred Hotels adds four Bali hotels to its collection

Ametis Villa Bali in Canggu, Nuju Uluwatu on the Bukit, Samsara Ubud and The Meru Sanur have joined Preferred Hotels & Resorts. The brand's Indonesian portfolio grows to five properties and its regional one to 25 across seven countries. All four are connected to the I Prefer Hotel Rewards loyalty programme.

What it means: Joining an international booking system means occupancy from someone else's guest base. The same logic works for a private villa when its management company brings its own sales channel.

Source: TTG Asia

Hotels

August brought 706,796 foreign visitors to Bali

According to immigration at Ngurah Rai, 706,796 foreigners arrived on the island in August, 0.54% more than a year earlier. Australia held first place with 165,841 visitors, almost a quarter of the total. Next came China with 59,793, France with 42,896, India with 36,024 and the United Kingdom with 33,732. The fastest-growing markets were Russia, up 31.97% year on year, and Turkey, up 29.29%.

What it means: Arrivals held level with last August, and the mix of markets is widening. For an owner, a broader spread of source countries means steadier occupancy outside the high season rather than a one-off spike.

Source: BaliNews.id · Bali tourism statistics

Tourism

Nuanu hosts the first international Art & Bali fair

On 11 September, Nuanu Creative City in Tabanan opened the Art & Bali fair: 23 galleries, more than 300 artists, 23 performances from seven countries and six public talks with around twenty speakers. The organisers expected 10,000 visitors over three days. The main exhibition, What the Body Remembers, looks at textiles and craft and is curated by Bandana Tewari. A separate highlight is the Labyrinth Dome with a 360-degree projection. The fair is co-organised by Indonesia's Ministry of Creative Economy.

What it means: Nuanu has grown into a cultural centre on 44 hectares with its own programme and its own audience. For nearby Kedungu, Seseh and Tabanan, that means rental demand in the months after the beach season.

Source: Bali Puspa News · Seseh: prices and listings

Places

TransNusa opens direct Bali–Phuket flights

On 9 September, TransNusa flew its first Denpasar–Phuket service on a 174-seat Airbus A320. Flight 8B541 leaves Bali at 11:30 and lands at 14:35; the return 8B542 leaves Phuket at 15:35 and reaches Bali at 20:35. For now it runs four times a week, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with daily flights promised from 3 October. The launch fare starts at Rp 2,399,000 one way. It's the second airline on the route: Indonesia AirAsia already flies it twice a day.

What it means: Two markets that buyers often weigh against each other are now linked directly. Seeing Bali and Phuket in one trip takes less time than routing through Kuala Lumpur.

Source: Bali Discovery · Bali vs Phuket

Infrastructure

Indonesia's tourism drew Rp 73.56 trillion of investment, three quarters into hotels

The Ministry of Tourism reported realised investment for 2025 of Rp 73.56 trillion. Jakarta and Bali took 76.5% of that amount, and 75% of all the money went into hotels and restaurants. The ministry wants to spread the map: the focus is on 13 priority destinations and 10 tourism special economic zones. Lake Toba was given as an example of growth outside Bali, with visits up 106%.

What it means: The country's hotel money still comes to Bali. It's the same capital that raises build quality and the entry price in Canggu, Ubud and on the Bukit.

Source: ANTARA News

Economy

Denpasar moves parking to tickets on entry and QR payment

Denpasar is rewriting its parking rules. Tickets will now be issued on entry, not when the driver comes back, and the ticket is the document for a claim if the vehicle goes missing. A team will check the attendants themselves, by number and assigned spot rather than by vest. Payment moves to QR codes. Collection points are being reviewed too: those set up in the wrong place and squeezing small shops will be removed.

What it means: Everyday life in an area is built from details like this. Cars and scooters stop running into unclear roadside fees, guests get less friction, and villa reviews come out steadier.

Source: Bali.live

Infrastructure

Dry until December: forecasters push back Bali's rainy season

BMKG expects a late start to the rainy season. September and October will stay dry on Bali, rain will build towards November, and across most of the island the wet season will only begin in December. The reason is El Niño, which forecasters expect to last into early 2027. The change will come gradually, with rainfall building week by week. Occasional downpours in the dry season happen and mean nothing: they are atmospheric swings, not the arrival of the rains.

What it means: The high season runs a few weeks longer. Villa yield models usually treat November as a weak month; this year it makes sense to model it at the upper end.

Source: Bali.live · Bali villa occupancy

Tourism

Gianyar heads for five million visits: Tirta Empul logged 553,253 in eight months

Gianyar counted visits to its attractions for January to August. Tirta Empul had 553,253 visits, the Ubud Monkey Forest 408,264, Bali Safari Marine Park 338,470, Tegenungan waterfall 218,850 and Kanto Lampo 171,933. Kanto Lampo rose from 120,000 a year earlier, helped by better site management and social media. The regency expects to reach five million visits by the end of the year.

What it means: Ubud and the area around it draw visitors all year, without beach seasonality. A villa or apartment within reach rents more evenly, and its yield depends less on the month.

Source: Bali.live · Ubud area guide

Tourism
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