With numerous flights per day and its close vicinity to Australia compared to other destinations,we take a look at how Bali is the top “go-to” destination for Australians.
There are many great and popular beach and resort destinations to choose from around the world. Among them is the island of Bali, Indonesia. Of the nearly 14 million travelers who visited the Southeast Asian nation of Indonesia in 2024, 45% of them made their way to the place called the “island of Gods.” A huge portion of visitors to Bali comes from a country that makes up one continent – Australia.
Each day, thousands of Australians arrive after a 3-8 hour-long flights from major cities in Australia at Bali's main airport – Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport. With numerous flights per day and its close vicinity to Australia compared to other destinations, Bali is an attraction for Australians on holiday or those who have invested into property on the island. Because Bali is the top “go-to” destination for Australians, airlines including the Australia-based carriers have capitalized on this market.
The Overview of Australian Tourism to Bali
Bali rose to become a popular destination for Australians during the middle and second half of the 20thcentury, though global interest for the island started before World War II. As part the Dutch East Indies, the Dutch colonial administration in the early 1900s began promoting the area as an exotic destination after photos taken by German Gregor Krause sparked interest from around the world. Further interest in Bali would continue to grow as the island attracted artists, writers, and celebrities, including American actor Charlie Chaplin in the early 1930s. Then the first hotel for visitors – the Kuta Beach Hotel – was opened by Robert and Louise Koke – an American couple living in Bali - in 1936.
Following World War II and Indonesia's independence from the Netherlands, the newly free Indonesian government promoted tourism as a way to help grow the nation. Over the next few decades, the country would make investments to modernize and build new infrastructure projects related to the emerging tourism industry. Among the projects included the airport known today as Denpasar's Ngurah Rai International Airport. Formerly known as Tuban Airport, international air services at Denpasar were inaugurated in 1966. This would help Denpasar and the island of Bali accommodate the boom of tourism that would take place over the next few decades – especially from Australia.
Bali would become a major attraction initially for Australian surfers, and over the next few decades Australia would become a major source for tourists to the island. According to Central Statistics Agency for Indonesia (BSP), Bali welcomed 6.33 million visitors from around the world. Based on the BSP data and the Australian Consulate in Bali, the numbers of visitors to Bali makes up 45% of the total visitors of the entire country of Indonesia (13.9 million). Of the over 6 million visitors to Bali, around 23% of them - or around 1.53 million – came from Australia.
From Australia, the country's own travel statistics show Indonesia – especially Bali – is a top attraction. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Indonesia overtook New Zealand as the top outbound destination for its citizens during FY2023-FY2024 (June 2023-June 2024) with around 1.53 million Australians going to Indonesia during that period. Outbound travel to Indonesia makes up 14% of the total number of Australian travelers who went overseas (total: 10.986 million), and the Southeast Asian nation was the top international destination for travelers from five Australian states and territories - Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, and Northern Territory. Bali is where the majority of the Australia-Indonesia flights arrive and depart on the Indonesian end.
Australia-Bali Aviation Market Overview
Based on data from Flightradar24, of the 260 roundtrip flights between Australia and Indonesia, the overwhelming majority – 235 (~90%) – are operated between eight cities in Australia - Perth, Darwin, Cairns, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne – to Denpasar. One could assume the top origin of flights to Bali would be one of the bigger cities such as Melbourne and Sydney. Instead the top origin is Perth in Western Australia with 5 airlines operating a total of 70 weekly flights to Bali. Following Perth are Melbourne (5 airlines/57 flights), Sydney (5 airlines/48 flights), Brisbane (3 airlines/25 flights), and Adelaide (3 airlines/14 flights). Flights are operated by Indonesia-based TransNusa, Batik Air, Indonesia AirAsia, Malaysia-based Batik Air Malaysia, and Australia-based Virgin Australia, Qantas, and Jetstar.
The airline leading in terms of capacity and routes between Australia and Bali is Jetstar – Qantas' budget subsidiary. Jetstar operates flights from 7 cities in Australia (Perth, Darwin, Carins, Brisbane, Adelaide,Sydney, and Melbourne) to Bali offering a total weekly seat capacity 18240 (weekly ASM: 45.6 million). Following Jetstar is Indonesia AirAsia with its 4 routes (Perth, Darwin, Cairns, Adelaide) and a weekly capacity of 9756 (weekly ASM: 11.75 million), and Virgin Australia with 4 (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Gold Coast) with a weekly capacity of 6984 (weekly ASM: 19.69 million).
Jetstar is a major part of Qantas Group's operations in Indonesia. Combined with Qantas' daily flights to Jakarta from Sydney and Melboune, the Australian airline group operates a total of 122 weekly flights between Australia and Indonesia. Of the 122 Australia-Indonesia flights by the Qantas Group carriers each week, 108 weekly flights with a combined capacity of 20652 (weekly ASM: 52.5 million) are operated to Bali alone. Jetstar carries the majority of the weekly flights and capacity (Weekly Capacity: 18240/Weekly ASM: 45.6 million), while Qantas focuses its operation from Sydney and Melbourne (Weekly Capacity: 2412/Weekly ASM: 6.87 million). Currently operating flights from 7 Australian cities, Jetstar will increase its presence at Denpasar with the addition of new routes from Gold Coast (August 1) and Newcastle (October 21). By the end of the year Jetstar alone will be operating flights to Bali from 9 cities in Australia.
A Convenient Escape for Australians
While home to over 26 million people, Australia is one of the most isolated places on Earth in the Southern Hemisphere. It is at least a 3-4 hour flight to cross the Tasman Sea by plane to the nearest country - New Zealand. Then there is Indonesia and Papua New Guinea which is located north of Australia. Among the Indonesian islands is Bali, which is conveniently located in the south-central part of Indonesia, and can be reached with a 3-8 hour flight from most Australian cities. With services provided by Low Cost Carriers (LCCs), travel to Bali is not only a convenient escape, but a great budget destination for many Australians.
As a result of the travel demand between Australia to Bali, airlines – especially the Australian-based Qantas Group with its mainline Qantas and budget subsidiary Jetstar – have capitalized on the market with multiple flights per day to the island from several cities in Australia.
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