What BPS reported
The statistics agency BPS Bali said on 2 November 2026 that direct foreign arrivals to Bali grew year on year for three months in a row: July, August and September. BPS Bali head Agus Gede Hendrayana Hermawan said the last three months have already topped the same months of last year.
July 2026 saw 697,809 visits against 697,107 in July 2025. August 2026 saw 685,994 against 682,866 a year earlier. September 2026 reached 650,169 visits, up 2.36% year on year.
The agency head added that he regards the trend as positive for the island's tourism industry.
Seasonal dip and growth drivers
Compared with August 2026, September fell by 5.22%. Agus Gede described this as the usual seasonal pattern. The slide from the July peak through August and September also happened in 2024 and 2025.
BPS said the year on year gain in September was supported by new flight routes and international events held on Bali. It also named headwinds: a volcanic eruption and the end of the European summer. According to the agency head, these events had a noticeable effect on September.
Who came in September
Australians led in September 2026 with 165,100 visits, up 2.38% from August. China followed with 54,284, India with 41,645, Japan with 30,322 and France with 28,405. These five markets made up nearly half of all foreign arrivals.
By region, Africa grew fastest month on month at 11.39%. The Americas added 5.7% and Oceania 1.4%. Europe fell the most, down 18.1%, followed by ASEAN at minus 2.82%, the Middle East at minus 2.35% and Asia at minus 0.98%.
Nine months are still negative
Cumulatively, Bali received 5,237,128 foreign visitors from January to September 2026. That is 1.15% fewer than in the same period of 2025. BPS Bali said the gains of the last three months have not offset the sharp drops in January, April, May and June 2026, which it links to global geopolitical conflict.
Over the nine months Australia remains first with 1,303,734 visits. China follows with 456,046, India with 394,155, the United Kingdom with 230,010 and South Korea with 213,072.
What is expected for the rest of the year
BPS Bali expects the movement of visitors in October, November and December to stay close to the cycle of previous years. The agency hopes arrivals will rise so that the year ends at least level with 2025. This is a hope, not a numeric forecast.
The source gives no data on hotel or villa occupancy or on length of stay. Rental returns therefore cannot be derived from this release. It describes the flow of guests and its split by country.