Yearly a well known declare circulates on social media: Bali is ‘quiet’, ’empty’ or ‘not value visiting in the intervening time’.
On December 24, 2025Bali’s prime official determined to publicly refute that story and identify it wrong information as a substitute of a measurable decline.
Throughout a go to to Benoa Port in Denpasar, Governor Wayan Koster rejected studies of the “tourism decline” on the finish of the yr, saying: “We’ve registered a rise in vacationer visits, which implies that (claims concerning the decline in tourism) on social media are a hoax.”
The governor’s rebuttal was accompanied by concrete counts. Native information sources say Bali has acquired 6.8 million international vacationers this yrsurpasses the 6.3 million registered in 2024, with a median day by day arrival of foreigners of approx 20,000 between December 19 and 22.
Along with the above figures, studies present that Bali is anticipated to obtain greater than 1.5 million guests throughout this Christmas vacation.
Why Bali can really feel ‘busy’ and ‘uneven’ on the identical time
The ’empty Bali’ debate is much less about whole arrivals and extra about the place vacationers keep and spend.
Bali Expat, summarizing the native reporting, quoted Koster and emphasised that arrivals have increasedHowever Lodge occupancy has not at all times elevated in parallelwhich he linked to the expansion of non-hotel lodging, resembling Airbnb-style stays.
That division is essential for what guests expertise. Sure resort zones might report decrease occupancy ranges, whereas highway corridors, seashore clusters and residential areas stay busy – particularly in southern Bali in late December.
The strongest real-time indicator: airport site visitors
Along with tourism comparisons, airport throughput is a direct indicator of whether or not an island is ’empty’. ANTARA reported that I included Gusti Ngurah Rai Worldwide Airport 126,152 passengers in home arrivals And 192,960 in worldwide arrivals from December 15 to 23, together with a median of 67,112 arriving passengers per day And 423 flight actions throughout the identical interval.
For vacationers this implies two sensible outcomes: The demand for transport stays excessiveand congestion is extra prone to happen in late December site visitors and switch delays then like empty seashores.
The largest constraint this week: climate volatility, not the collapse of tourism
If there may be one short-term variable that adjustments the day by day ’emotions’ of holiday makers, it’s the climate. Indonesia’s meteorological company, BMKG, has mapped the danger of heavy rain throughout the Christmas and New 12 months journey interval, highlighting Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara for elevated security monitoring.
At a Local weather Outlook 2026 press convention, BMKG head Teuku Faisal Fathani stated: “For Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara, rainfall is anticipated to peak in January, making it a main safety concern throughout the Christmas and New 12 months interval.”
One other native information outlet echoed these warnings with operational particulars, summarizing the BBMKG pointers predicting “reasonable to heavy rainfall” in a number of regencies – together with Badung, Denpasar, Tabanan and Gianyar – along with warnings of excessive winds and sea states within the southern straits and waters.
What vacationers can really count on within the coming days
Probably the most helpful takeaway is not whether or not Bali is empty. It is the right way to plan excessive demand plus variability within the wet season:
Crowds and site visitors: Anticipate busy situations in South Bali’s fundamental vacationer belt. Even when a seashore seems to be quiet at a sure hour, highway journey can nonetheless be gradual, particularly round transfers to and from Denpasar and the airport.
Worth habits: Sturdy arrivals permit standard villa inventory and dependable drivers to ebook sooner. Offers exist, however they’re extra prone to happen outdoors probably the most concentrated southern neighborhoods.
Climate danger administration: Construct flexibility. Present indoor options for days of heavy rain, keep away from cliff-edge lookouts throughout downpours, and deal with marine warnings severely when reserving quick boats or shore excursions.
Hygiene info: If the road ‘Bali is empty’ is used to promote you an unverified tour, an over-cheap villa or a suspicious switch, deal with it as a danger sign and never a market perception.
Koster’s ‘hoax’ rebuttal isn’t just a political message; it is a reminder to prioritize main indicators – arrival numbers, flight actions and official climate advisories – over social speak. Probably the most correct snapshot for the tip of December 2025 is clearly: Bali receives important site visitors on the finish of the yrand so are the planning restrictions that vacationers should take severely disruption of the wet seasonand never as a result of a sudden decline in tourism.