PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (PELINDO), the state-owned port management company overseeing seaports in Bali and Nusa Tenggara (NTT), has revealed a 45% surge in requests for port calls at Bali’s southernmost port, Benoa, for the year 2024.
The Head of PELINDO in Bali and NTT, Ali Sodikin, confirmed this increase in requests, as stated by the State News Agency Antara.
Moreover, PELINDO’s data shows that from January 6th to October 6th, 2023, 30 cruise ships carrying 21,679 passengers visited the port of Benoa. This marks a significant rise compared to the same period in 2022 when 14 ships brought 7,000 passengers to the Port of Benoa.
Sodikin attributes this upsurge in cruise ship visits to Bali to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and the reopening of Indonesian international gateways to tourism.
Looking ahead to 2025, Bali is poised to embrace cruise tourism fully, with online registration available for international cruise ships visiting the island. A new Marine Tourism Center is under construction at Benoa, purposefully designed to streamline the arrival and departure of cruise ship passengers.
The new cruise terminal at Benoa will offer foreign currency exchange kiosks, information booths, ATMs, and local kiosks selling merchandise operated by small and medium-sized entrepreneurs.
