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Hong Kong and Jakarta (CNN) -
Destinations around the world have faced significant reductions in tourists amid the coronavirus pandemic.
But few have been more affected than Bali, the Indonesian island so beloved by travelers from around the world.
Due to strict border control measures and the closure of the airport, Bali went from receiving millions of international visitors to receiving only 45 in 2021.
For comparison, the island received 6.2 million international arrivals in 2019 and 1.05 million in 2020.
Bali used to be a favorite destination for international tourists.
"It is the lowest number of visits by foreign tourists that we have ever recorded," Nyoman Gede Gunadika, head of the Bali province tourism section, told CNN.
The two-digit figure corresponds to the period between January and October 2021 and was confirmed by the Central Bureau of Statistics in Bali.
As the island's Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar has been closed to international flights for most of the year, these tourists have mostly arrived via private yachts.
Although the airport officially reopened to international flights on October 14, so far there have only been domestic flights entering and leaving the airport, mainly from Jakarta, the Indonesian capital.
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To come to Bali, foreign tourists have to meet strict COVID-19-related entry requirements.
They must obtain a business visa at a cost of US $ 300 (currently there are no tourist visas), undergo multiple PCR tests and take out special medical insurance.
In addition, the costs of air tickets are higher than usual, due to the lack of direct flights.
One hopeful visitor is Justyna Wrucha, a British citizen planning a trip to Bali with her husband.
It will be her first visit to the island, which she says has been on her bucket list for a long time.
"We believe that the government of Indonesia and Bali is extremely harsh in imposing a 10-day quarantine on fully vaccinated people," Wrucha tells CNN.
Policies related to COVID-19 for foreign visitors to Bali are determined by the central government of Jakarta, not the island's local authorities.
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At first, the quarantines were shorter, but they have been increased recently due to the fear of the new omicron variant.
Wrucha and her husband will arrive in Jakarta on December 26, quarantine there for 10 days and then fly to Bali, barring changes or last minute problems.
He says they have relied on social media, mainly Instagram, to stay up to date rather than on official government channels.
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"Before the covid, people in Europe and the UK loved Bali," he adds.
Ray Suryawijaya, director of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association of Badung District in Bali, agrees with Wrucha.
"With all these barriers, it is difficult for us to expect foreign tourists to come to Bali," he says.
However, there is a small ray of hope with the gradual return of national tourism.
Ray reports that the occupancy rate for Bali hotels is now around 35%.
"On weekends, some 13,000 domestic tourists visit Bali," he adds.
While that small number of visitors is an encouraging note to end the year, especially for the many Balinese who depend on tourism to support their families, it will not be enough to salvage the 2021 season.
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