The day in brief. The central government is again framing Bali in terms of land and planning: the agrarian affairs minister set out four development priorities, with spatial planning as the frame for everything else. In parallel, connectivity is back on the table — a special-purpose airport in the north and a water taxi meant to link the main airport with Canggu in about 30 minutes. And Indonesia's golden visa programme has passed 1,274 grants. Three stories about where, over the next few years, it will be easier to live, move around and invest on Bali.
Minister AHY names four priorities for Bali — spatial planning and land lead the list
On 20 July 2026 the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning and Head of the National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), set out four priority clusters for Bali's development. First, tourism, with the flow dispersed beyond the congested south. Second, infrastructure and connectivity: traffic and a shortage of regular transport corridors. Third, the environment: waste, water pollution, coastal abrasion and the loss of productive rice fields. Fourth, spatial planning as the frame meant to keep these problems from turning into a "disaster" for tourism and infrastructure.
For context: in 2025 Bali generated roughly Rp176 trillion (~$9.4bn) in tourism foreign-exchange earnings and 45.8% of the country's foreign arrivals. Governor Wayan Koster separately acknowledged that "infrastructure and public transport remain inadequate" and called for stronger links between Denpasar, Badung, Klungkung and Gianyar. The same AHY is responsible for Regulation No. 3/2026 on digital land valuation, so land and planning are a settled direction from the centre, not a one-off.
Source: Antara News, 20 July 2026
The signal matches recent weeks: conversion of agricultural land will be curbed and zoning tightened. In that frame, projects that already cleared the permitting path with a correct land designation hold their value. Before you buy, read the documents rather than the promises: land zones on Bali and which developer documents to check (KKPR, PBG, SLF).
North Bali: a special-purpose airport and an "airport-to-Canggu in 30 minutes" water taxi
At a 9 July 2026 meeting, Governor Wayan Koster and Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi discussed developing the Letkol Wisnu airport in Buleleng, in the island's north, as a "special-purpose airport" — for emergency landings, private jets, charters and logistics. The current 1,400 m runway needs strengthening and lengthening; a separate legal entity is planned to acquire land for the expansion, and the authorities are open to a commercial partnership with an investor. Koster stresses that productive land and the subak irrigation system must be protected in the process.
The second part of the plan is a water taxi between the main I Gusti Ngurah Rai airport and Canggu (North Kuta) that, on current estimates, would cut the trip from 1.5–2 hours to about 30 minutes. The facilities are targeted for completion by November 2026, but the start depends on "beach normalisation" and breakwaters still under review by the Ministry of Public Works; the project was earlier valued at around Rp1.2 trillion. Important: these are plans and target dates, not live infrastructure — treat them as a stated direction, not a done deal.
Sources: Bali Discovery, July 2026; Social Expat, July 2026
Connectivity is the main pain point for rental demand in the south: the airport-to-Canggu drive at peak hours eats into a guest's first impression. If the water taxi launches, that drawback is partly removed; a second airport in the north is a slow but real driver for Buleleng. When choosing an area, price in the logistics, not just the price tag: Ubud or Canggu — where to buy a villa. Mirador villas in Ubud lean on a steady wellness flow rather than southern traffic alone.
Indonesia's golden visa: 1,274 grants and Rp52.1 trillion invested, led by the US, Australia and Russia
On 9 July 2026, Director-General of Immigration Hendarsam Marantoko reported that 1,274 golden visas had been issued since the programme launched in July 2024 — above the original target of 1,000. It has attracted about Rp52.1 trillion (~$2.95bn) in investment plus Rp16.3bn in non-tax revenue. The residence permit runs 5 to 10 years, with categories spanning corporate and individual investors, the Second Home Visa, and former Indonesian citizens and their descendants.
The top holder nationalities are the US, China, Taiwan, Australia, Russia, the Netherlands, the UK, Japan and South Korea — a list that largely overlaps with Bali's key buyer countries. That said, a golden visa is about the right to live in the country long-term and legally, not a right of property ownership: land is still held through leasehold or a PT PMA company.
Source: Social Expat, 9 July 2026
For a high-net-worth buyer, a golden visa or Second Home visa is a legal route to long-term residence — but don't confuse it with owning the asset: the two are decided separately. Sort out the ownership structure first — PT PMA or leasehold — and then the owner's visa: KITAS and visa for a Bali villa owner.
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