Bali's I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport has recorded a significant achievement with a surge in travelers passing through the airport from the beginning to the middle of 2024. According to the Directorate General of Immigration, there has been an increase in international tourist arrivals, reaching 5,086,765 people. This represents an approximately 7.28% increase from the same period in 2023, which saw 4,741,343 international tourists arriving in Indonesia.
At I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, there has been a 16% increase from the beginning to the middle of 2024 compared to the first semester of 2023, which only served 9,743,788 passengers. In contrast, in the first half of 2024, the airport has already served 11,259,019 passengers.
Of the total 11,259,019 passengers passing through Bali's I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, the figure consists of two types of passengers: international and domestic. There were 6,562,090 international passengers and 4,696,929 domestic passengers, with the daily passenger total reaching 74,563.
The increase in passenger movements is attributed to both international and local tourists continuing to choose Bali as their holiday destination. This demonstrates that Bali remains a relevant and popular vacation spot for many people. As a result, this also impacts the quality of service I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport provided, which has significantly improved in the first half of 2024.
The increase at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport is not only due to Bali being a relevant and attractive vacation destination but also due to the flight route services provided by the airport, which currently operates 22 domestic and 36 international flight routes. The busiest national routes are Jakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar, while the busiest international routes are Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Perth.
This is evidenced by a report from the Bali Immigration Office, which informed that the highest number of foreign tourists in the first period of 2024 were from Australia, with 724,311 passengers. Observing the trend of increasing numbers in the first half of 2024, I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport is optimistic about surpassing the targets set for the tourism sector by the end of 2024.
This is supported by airlines coordinating with I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport to add flight routes, both domestic and international, in the second half of 2024. These flights include direct services to and from Bengaluru, India (IndiGo Airlines), Canberra (Batik Air), and Abu Dhabi (Etihad Airways).
