BBTF: Shaping Quality Tourism, Cultural Diplomacy, and Sustainable Growth

MANGUPURA, BTNp: AS INTERNATIONAL travel patterns continue to shift and competition among destinations becomes increasingly intense, Bali & Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF) 2026 returns with an important message from Bali: the island’s tourism future must protect its identity, strengthen market confidence, and create greater economic value for the people and ecosystem behind the destination.

BBTF 2026 will take place on 28–30 May 2026 at BICC, The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali. Entering its 12th edition, this year’s BBTF carries the theme “Redefining Indonesia’s Gastronomy Journey: A Celebration of Taste, Cultures, and Sustainable Heritage.” as the event brings together 407 buyers from 44 countries and 286 sellers from sellers from 4 countries and 13 provinces across Indonesia, reinforcing Bali’s role a strategic meeting point for international buyers, tourism businesses, cultural narratives, and destination partnerships.

Bali’s tourism momentum remains to move amid global uncertainty. Air connectivity is strengthening Bali’s position in the market. In March 2026, Jetstar launched direct Sunshine Coast–Bali and Melbourne Avalon–Bali services, expanding access from Australia, one of Bali’s most important source markets. Virgin Australia has also announced direct Canberra–Bali services starting 22 June 2026, while Indonesia AirAsia launched its Bali–Da Nang route from 20 March 2026, strengthening Bali’s connectivity with Southeast Asia. From India, IndiGo has expanded access to Bali through its Mumbai–Denpasar service, complementing its existing Bengaluru–Bali route.

Chairman of DPD ASITA Bali and Head Committee of BBTF 2026, I Putu Winastra, S.AB., M.A.P., said connectivity to Bali must be viewed as a wider opportunity for the island’s tourism ecosystem.

“Every new route to Bali brings more than passengers. It opens market access, strengthens hotel demand, restaurant spending, transport movement, creative economy opportunities, and wider exposure for communities and destinations across Bali. Our task is to protect the quality of our products and visitor experience, so that access can become quality transactions and lasting value.”

The development of new routes also highlights the importance of reading the market more strategically. Australia remains Bali’s leading market, while India, Europe, Southeast Asia, and other Asian markets are becoming increasingly important through relevant products, stronger narratives, and partnerships that respond to the needs of today’s travelers.

For BBTF 2026, this context strengthens the importance of a business-to-business platform that connects market demand, tourism products, and destination readiness. International buyers are looking for product clarity, service consistency, flight access, safety, cultural narratives, and the confidence that a destination can deliver a trusted experience.

This year’s gastronomy theme gives BBTF strong relevance for Bali. Food is one of the island’s most natural ways to speak to the world — through ingredients, farmers, fishermen, traditional markets, ceremonies, family kitchens, chefs, and the hospitality that defines how Bali welcomes its guests. Through gastronomy, Bali can show that tourism is rooted in culture, community, and everyday life.

At the same time, BBTF 2026 carries an important message: Bali’s global reputation must be protected with greater awareness and commitment to sustainability. The island has long been admired for its natural beauty, spirituality, living culture, hospitality, and the relationship between people, nature, and ceremony. These qualities have made Bali loved by the world, and they must remain at the heart of its tourism future.

“Bali is a living culture, a home, and a responsibility,” Winastra said. “Preserving Bali as Bali requires better destination management, cleaner environments, stronger mobility planning, cultural respect, and a shared commitment from government, industry, communities, investors, media, and visitors.”

The official opening of BBTF 2026 is being prepared as an important moment for Bali, with the committee expecting the presence of high-level government representatives, including the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Governor of Bali, together with international buyers, tourism boards, industry leaders, and destination partners.

Their expected presence reflects Bali’s important role as the face of Indonesia’s tourism diplomacy. For many international visitors and buyers, Bali is their first emotional connection with Indonesia. The island carries a powerful message through hospitality, safety, food, service, living culture, and the trust built when people experience the destination directly.

“Tourism is diplomacy in motion,” Winastra added. “Every visit to Bali, every meal, every cultural encounter, and every meeting between buyers and sellers shapes how people understand the island and Indonesia. BBTF gives Bali the opportunity to build trust through real experience.”

Beyond business appointments, BBTF 2026 will also feature familiarization trips and post-event tours, allowing buyers to experience Bali and selected destinations first-hand. This direct experience helps buyers assess product quality, service standards, local readiness, and the cultural depth that cannot be understood through promotion alone.

Organized by DPD ASITA Bali, BBTF 2026 will bring together tourism boards, hotels, destination management companies, travel agents, experience providers, hospitality groups, government stakeholders, and strategic partners from Bali, Indonesia, and international markets.

As Bali moves toward a more quality-driven tourism economy, BBTF 2026 stands as a platform to show the island’s readiness through stronger products, richer narratives, better partnerships, and deeper responsibility to the culture and communities that make Bali unlike anywhere else. *BBTF-26/BTNewspaper