Canberra Airport eyes Bali direct flights as reopened tourist haven is 'reborn'

Tourist numbers are bouncing back on the "island of the gods" after it was closed to visitors early in the pandemic and then millions of tourists stayed away. International tourists have only been allowed back to Bali since August 2021.

Despite the tropical offerings, the past few years have been miserable for the Balinese locals who depend on tourism dollars, with places closing and many hotels open but few guests. The hosting of the G20 Leaders' Summit has been widely seen as a vote of confidence in Bali's revival, and the lively island wants to reinvent itself as a clean, safe post-pandemic destination.

And Bali is to target Canberrans.

"Australia, especially Canberra, is very important for Bali," the head of Bali Tourism Board Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana told The Canberra Times in Bali.

"We have many, in the future, so many flights coming from Canberra.

"This is the key, this is the key, the lowest-hanging fruit. But the reality [is] we need more aircraft to do Canberra and Bali direct flights."

He said 52 per cent of the local income was from tourism, but tourist numbers were up 31 per cent this year and tracking better for next year.

But the key was aircraft availability.

The Canberra Times has learned Canberra Airport is in talks with major airlines to offer direct flights to Bali and other regional destinations.

"We are currently looking at the possibility of direct flights to several international destinations, including Bali, Fiji, Vanuatu and Auckland," Canberra Airport's head of aviation Michael Thomson said.

"We are also working towards resuming international services with Singapore Airlines and Qatar."

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Mr Thomson indicated the market was there.

"We know there is pent-up demand for international travel," he said.

"Canberra would be a top choice for many airlines if it weren't for the lack of available aircraft and staff."

The Bali Tourism Board chair said airlines had told him they needed to "double down" with cheap Bali prices.

Now the island was open again, Mr Bagus Agung said Bali was being "reborn" with the help of local medical representatives as a healthy, clean post-pandemic destination.

While Bali may have depended on Chinese tourists in the past, COVID-19 restrictions still pummelling China's tourism sector had shifted the country's focus squarely to Australians and Indians, and then tourists from the UK, US and south-east Asia.

This week's G20 summit has been a boon for Bali, leaders of the world's 20 leading economies filling out hotels and bringing thousands of attending diplomats, security and media.

Mr Bagus Agung said Bali was particularly keen for Canberrans. And while rampant global inflation was forcing up airline ticket prices, the tourist island was still a relatively cheap overseas destination for Australians.

"The main issue now is the aircraft," he said.

"I gave a list about the demand situation ... to give the potential. This is like egg and chicken, right? So that's why I talk to them. In my organisation we put the marketing together. So maybe we start with charter flights."

The ACT government has welcomed the Balinese targeting of Canberrans, but questioned the returns for the ACT.

"We are always open to exploring new direct airline routes and welcome this interest, however, Bali is not on our horizon at this stage," a government spokesperson said.

"A direct flight between Bali and Canberra would greatly benefit holiday-seeking Canberrans but there would be minimal inbound tourism for the Canberra market from Bali."