Scooters and cars in daytime traffic on a Bali roadNo. 3

Issue 3 · September 27, 2026

A tunnel under Canggu, a tram breaking ground, and property tax outpacing the rest

This is a big-build week: the island breaks ground on a tunnel and a tram line along the west coast, while property-transaction tax collections grow faster than any other line in the budget. Arrivals, meanwhile, confirm villa demand hasn't cooled.

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The week in brief

  1. The Gatsu Barat–Canggu tunnel: 2.4 km underground, budgeted at Rp 3.5 trillion
  2. The airport–Canggu tram breaks ground in 2027, a 13.1 km line built in two phases
  3. Bali's 8-month revenue hit Rp 13 trillion, up 8.21% year on year, with property-transaction tax up 26.1%
  4. July arrivals rose 15%, and the villa market enters a new cycle

Bali's consumer confidence index runs above the national average

Bank Indonesia's Bali office released its August consumer survey: the island's confidence index reads 123.1, against a national average of 118.5. Confidence holds up best among households spending Rp 3 million a month and more. Formal-sector workers score 128.3; informal-sector workers score 116.8. The bank ties the mood to tourism growth and steady activity in trade and services.

What it means: The local economy runs on tourism, and while it keeps growing with confidence, demand for rental housing and the services around villas stays steady too.

Source: ANTARA Bali · Is Bali property a good investment

Economy

Indonesia's cross-border QRIS wins a global digital-infrastructure award

QRIS, Indonesia's QR payment system, won the Collaboration category at the 50-in-5 Awards, presented in New York. Cross-border QRIS already links Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and China. Bank Indonesia reports that from 2022 through July 2026, foreign visitors made 21 million such payments inside Indonesia worth Rp 5.9 trillion, while Indonesians abroad made 4.67 million payments worth Rp 1.73 trillion.

What it means: QR payment is now routine on Bali, from cafes to shops. The more countries it connects to, the easier it is for a villa's guests to pay locally without cash or a currency exchange.

Source: ANTARA · Transferring money to Indonesia

Economy

Gilimanuk–Mengwi highway: tender by late 2026, tolled section breaks ground in early 2027

The route for the Gilimanuk-Mengwi expressway has changed. The Gilimanuk-Pekutatan stretch in Jembrana won't be tolled; it will be widened instead as a national road. The tolled section stays limited to Pekutatan-Mengwi, running into Badung regency. The provincial government has set a timeline: tender by the end of 2026, with construction targeted for early 2027. In August, the Ministry of Public Works held consultations with residents of Jembrana, Tabanan and Badung. Villages along the route support the project and are asking for firm dates.

What it means: A fast road west shortens the trip to the Tabanan and Jembrana coast, where land still runs well below prices in the south. For a land buyer, it's a reason to look past Canggu.

Source: detikBali

Infrastructure

July arrivals rose 15%, and the villa market enters a new cycle

BPS Bali counted 697,809 direct foreign arrivals in July, up 15.34% on June. Star-hotel occupancy climbed to 67.29%, close to a year earlier. Yet the villa-management association BVRMA points out that a lot of villas and hotels are listed for sale despite that demand. Its reading isn't a downturn but a shift in the investment cycle: more properties on the market, sharper competition, and rising costs tied to licensing, tax and professional management.

What it means: Tourist demand is holding, and the properties that win are the ones with a full set of documents and a management company behind them. For a buyer, that means more choice on the resale market and more room to negotiate.

Source: NusaBali · Bali villa rental yield

Economy

Kuta, Legian and Seminyak get a flood early-warning system

Badung's disaster agency began installing a flood early-warning system along the Tukad Mati river. The first siren masts went up by the Kuta district office, with two more in Legian and Seminyak; the siren escalates in stages, sounding longer as the water rises. The same day, Denpasar started clearing 200 meters of silt from the Tukad Mati with two excavators, part of wider work on the city's rivers ahead of the rainy season.

What it means: The southwest of the island is getting ahead of the rains. For owners and tenants in Seminyak and Legian, that's less flood risk once the wet season sets in.

Source: NusaBali · Seminyak: prices and listings

Infrastructure

Nusa Penida moves toward "green island" status, with its own rules for investors

Klungkung regency is steering Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan toward eco-tourism. Investment stays open, but relevant agencies have been told to screen for projects that keep the local character intact, building design included. Separate requirements and permits are being drawn up for investors. The "green island" concept spans energy, transport and construction, with the aim of setting Penida apart from other resort areas.

What it means: Penida is heading for stricter architectural and permitting standards. A buyer should check upfront whether a project fits the regency's new rules before committing.

Source: ANTARA Bali · Bali zoning and RDTR

Law

A sea ambulance starts operating for Nusa Penida

Nusa Ceningan has opened the Nusa Medica Sea Ambulance. The boat serves residents and tourists across Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. Emergency care there used to be slowed by distance and ferry schedules, especially when a patient needed a clinic on the Bali mainland. Klungkung regency expects the boat to speed up evacuations, including for tourists involved in accidents.

What it means: Nearby medical care is one of the basics for living and renting out property on the islands. For villa owners on Nusa Penida and Lembongan, it's a genuine plus for guest safety.

Source: ANTARA Bali · Healthcare and insurance in Bali

Infrastructure

The airport–Canggu tram breaks ground in 2027, a 13.1 km line in two phases

The provincial government has confirmed it: construction on a tram line from Ngurah Rai Airport to Canggu starts in 2027. State rail operator KAI is running the project and has already presented its plan and budget three times. The battery-powered line runs 13.1 km in two phases. Phase 1A, airport to Legian, covers 6.6 km and targets a fourth-quarter-2028 launch. Phase 1B, Legian-Seminyak-Canggu, covers 6.5 km and is due in the first quarter of 2031. The tram sits inside Bali's low-emission zone program, and Badung regency is separately asking for a Nusa Dua-Uluwatu branch to be studied.

What it means: Rail access to the airport will cut the peak-hour drive into Seminyak and Canggu. The timeline runs long, so model a property's returns without the tram and treat it as a possible upside later.

Source: detikBali

Infrastructure

Bali International Fashion Week returns: 31 designers, 100 models from 15 countries

Bali International Fashion Week is back after a four-year gap, with shows running September 24-26 at the Pasifika Museum in Nusa Dua. The lineup covers 31 designers and more than 100 models from 15 countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Italy, France, Australia and Mexico. The season's theme, "Where Culture Meets Haute Couture," has each designer present couture through their own country's culture. It's only the event's second edition; the first ran in 2022. A preview show took place September 23 at Waterblow in Nusa Dua.

What it means: International events like this keep Nusa Dua's standing as a premium resort district. For a villa owner there, it means a steady flow of guests outside the beach season.

Source:

Places

Bank Indonesia: Bali retailers expect sales to keep climbing into 2027

Bank Indonesia's Bali office published its retail sector survey. The sales expectation index reads 180 for October 2026 and 188 for January 2027; anything above 100 signals optimism. Actual August sales came in at 129.2, up 0.5% on the month. Retail credit grew 1.86% through July. The bank credits strong tourism and steady household spending. Bali's inflation ran at 3.45% in August, inside the target range.

What it means: Shops and cafes are banking on a strong high season, which means demand for rental housing behind them too. Inflation staying in range lowers the risk of a sudden jump in construction and villa running costs.

Source: ANTARA Bali

Economy

Padang Padang Surf Camp in Uluwatu adds a skate bowl, pump track, sauna and ice bath

Padang Padang Surf Camp has run in Uluwatu since 2005, and training now moves onto land too. The camp built a skate bowl and a pump track for surf-skating; coaches review footage of a session, then drill turns and weight transfer on the board. Beginners work on balance on a flat, covered surface, while experienced surfers refine speed and combos. A recovery zone sits alongside it: a Javanese-teak sauna and an ice bath, both open daily.

What it means: Uluwatu is picking up the kind of amenities that suit someone living on Bali for months, not a week. Sports facilities within reach of home are a real argument for a six-month-plus rental.

Source:

Places

Bali's hotel association: tourism is shifting from headcount to quality

Cokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati, head of Bali's PHRI hotel and restaurant association, told a conference at Politeknik Negeri Bali that the island is at a crossroads between quantity and quality tourism. Industry performance can no longer be measured just by tourist counts, room numbers and flight load factors, he said; the focus needs to shift to creating value for local communities and moving from mass tourism toward a more responsible model. PNB director I Dewa Made Cipta Santosa added that local businesses need to adopt technology to stay competitive while making sure tourism's benefits reach Balinese communities through greener practices. About 150 experts from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the US, Europe and Africa attended.

What it means: When an industry association shifts its language toward "quality," tighter rules for new accommodation usually follow. Anyone planning a rental villa should build in a higher service standard and cleaner paperwork from day one.

Source: ANTARA News Bali

Tourism

Hyatt Regency Bali in Sanur adds beach BBQ nights four times a week

Hyatt Regency Bali in Sanur has refreshed its beachfront dining. Beach BBQ runs Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 18:30 to 22:00, with live cooking stations and grills set up right on the sand. Each night has its own theme: Sunday and Monday cover dishes from across the archipelago, while Wednesday and Friday focus on seafood and open-fire grilling, with a fire show alongside it. Saturdays bring an Italian Kitchen Party at the resort's Pizzaria restaurant, with risotto and a kids' corner.

What it means: Sanur remains the most family-oriented district on the south coast: calm water and a restaurant scene without the club noise. For a relocating family, that's an argument for choosing housing here over Canggu.

Source:

Hotels

MotoGP at Mandalika, October 9-11: Bali hotels expect teams and fans

The MotoGP round at the Mandalika circuit on Lombok runs October 9-11, 2026. Bali's PHRI hotel association expects a bump in guests on the island, since many fans, teams and technical staff base themselves on Bali, as in past years, because Lombok doesn't have enough rooms. Some of that crowd stays on to relax on Bali once the race is over; PHRI counts them among the higher-spending segment of visitors.

What it means: A major event next door adds shoulder-season occupancy on Bali. Villas with an easy run to the port or the airport should see fuller October bookings than usual.

Source: ANTARA Bali

Tourism

The Gatsu Barat–Canggu tunnel: 2.4 km underground, budgeted at Rp 3.5 trillion

Badung regency is developing a tunnel from Jalan Gatot Subroto Barat in Denpasar to Canggu and on to Mengwi. On September 24, the project was discussed with Shanghai Tunnel Engineering (Singapore) and an Indonesian partner. The Gatsu Barat-Canggu stretch runs 3.2 km, with 2.4 km as the main tunnel, at a depth of 15 meters; boring is costed at Rp 1.45 billion per meter, with a total budget of Rp 3.5 trillion. Financing is under discussion with ministries: a 2027-2035 loan through SMI and Bank BPD Bali, alongside a public-private partnership option.

What it means: Canggu's biggest problem is the approach traffic from Denpasar and the airport. A tunnel under Kerobokan hits that exact bottleneck, and for a rental business, travel time to the villa is part of what sets the nightly rate.

Source: detikBali

Infrastructure

Bali becomes the first region in Indonesia to launch the unified 112 emergency line

Indonesia is rolling out a single emergency number, 112, and Bali is the first pilot region. The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs launched it jointly. Fire, ambulance, search-and-rescue and police all sit behind 112 under one command center. The call is free from a mobile or landline anywhere on the island, and a mobile-app version is coming. The service targets foreign tourists as well as residents, and the province says training and teams will be in place across all 57 districts of the island. National rollout is planned within two years.

What it means: For a family relocating to Bali, this is a small but genuinely useful change: one number to remember instead of several local ones. It's worth saving 112 in the kids' and the nanny's phones right away.

Source: ANTARA News

Infrastructure

Bali's own-source revenue hits Rp 13 trillion through August, up 8.21%; property-transaction tax up 26.1%

Bali's regional governments' own-source revenue reached Rp 13 trillion by the end of August 2026, up 8.21% from Rp 11.8 trillion a year earlier and 60.3% of the annual target. The largest share comes from tourism-related levies on hotels, restaurants, parking and entertainment: Rp 6 trillion, up 12.42%. The fastest-growing line was BPHTB, the duty on land and building transfers, which brought in Rp 1 trillion, up 26.1%. The figures come from the provincial treasury.

What it means: BPHTB is paid on every land and property transaction, so a quarter more of it is a direct sign the market is moving. More deals are happening on the island, and it shows up in the budget, not just in marketing.

Source: ANTARA Bali

Economy

Bangli regency moves to speed up PBG and SLF building permits

Bangli regency held a public forum on speeding up PBG and SLF approvals: PBG is the building construction permit, SLF the certificate confirming a building is fit for use. The regency's one-stop investment and licensing center organized it, drawing technical-committee experts, designers, the public-works department and local business. Officials framed PBG and SLF as legal certainty and building safety rather than paperwork for its own sake, with the goal of issuing documents faster without loosening construction standards. The forum also went through where applicants most often get stuck.

What it means: PBG and SLF are the first two documents worth checking on any villa. The faster a regency issues them, the fewer properties get stuck between construction and a legal rental listing.

Source: Bali Puspa News

Law

Nusa Dua widens the Siligita junction, one of the south's worst bottlenecks

Widening has started at the Siligita junction in Nusa Dua, on the eastern and southern sides near the PDAM water channel, where a traffic light has already gone in. Siligita is one of the busiest intersections in the resort zone; during long holidays, Christmas, New Year, Lebaran and school breaks, traffic there can back up for hours. The road to Bualu village's ceremonial site also runs through it. Pratama Street is next on the list, since it's the only main entrance into Tanjung Benoa.

What it means: Targeted junction upgrades move faster than large projects. For owners in Nusa Dua and Jimbaran, this means a shorter drive to the beaches and the resort zone this season already.

Source: NusaBali

Infrastructure

Bali ranks 9th worldwide and 2nd in Asia for solo travel

Tripadvisor released its 2026 Travelers' Choice Awards for solo travel. Bali placed 9th globally and 2nd in Asia, behind only Hanoi; Dublin, Berlin, London, Santiago and Edinburgh took the top global spots. The platform called Bali the "Island of the Gods," citing its white and black-sand beaches, diving and snorkeling, temples, Ubud's creative scene, and batik, silversmithing and yoga courses. A year earlier, in 2025, Conde Nast had already named Bali Asia's best island, and this ranking confirms travellers keep choosing it alone.

What it means: Rankings like this keep the flow of solo travellers and digital nomads steady. For a villa or apartment owner, that's demand for short- and medium-term rentals that doesn't depend on the season.

Source: Bali Discovery

Tourism

Bali's tax office collects Rp 11.2 trillion through August, 51.77% of the annual target

Bali's tax office (DJP) collected Rp 11.2 trillion from January through August 2026, 51.77% of its Rp 21.7 trillion annual target and 8.56% more than the same period in 2025 (Rp 10.3 trillion). DJP Bali chief Darmawan credited better taxpayer compliance as much as new audits. The largest contributions came from wholesale and retail trade (20.6%, Rp 2.31 trillion), tourism accommodation and food service (16.5%, Rp 1.85 trillion), and finance and insurance (11.83%, Rp 1.32 trillion). The office's strategy includes registering taxpayer numbers by ID, confirming VAT-registered status for qualifying companies, and targeted outreach to inactive but operating businesses. Collections rose across all eight of the island's tax offices.

What it means: Rising tax collection from tourism and trade is an indirect sign that real economic activity on the island is outpacing the official tourist-arrival numbers, alongside tighter enforcement on unregistered business.

Source: ANTARA News Bali

Economy

ITDC builds breakwaters in Nusa Dua as coastal-protection work reaches 58.5% completion

State-owned ITDC (PT Pengembangan Pariwisata Indonesia) is building two groins, sand-and-rock breakwaters, on Peninsula Island in Nusa Dua to stop coastal erosion. Alongside that, the company is upgrading roads inside the resort zone, improving access to Peninsula and Waterblow, installing stormwater drainage and waste management, and building access to Nusa Dharma island. As of early September 2026, the overall infrastructure program stood at 58.53% complete, up from 23.7% in the previous reporting period. The resort zone covers 350 hectares, 97 of them green space, with over 5,700 trees across 138 species.

What it means: Coastal protection and upgraded infrastructure directly support property values in Nusa Dua, where beach erosion has historically been a weaker point compared with Canggu and Uluwatu.

Source: ANTARA News Bali

Infrastructure

All issues

Issue 2 · September 20, 2026

Infrastructure week: the airport, the roads and the parking lots

  • AirNav and Boeing are modeling how to raise Ngurah Rai's capacity without a second taxiway
  • Badung is putting Rp 4.8 trillion into construction and land purchases for parking
  • Bali's fishing port moves to Jembrana, freeing Benoa for cruise ships and yachts
  • Melbourne–Denpasar gets four flights a week starting October 19
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