Bali receives first int'l tourist flight in two years

Indonesia's holiday island of Bali has welcomed its first direct flight carrying foreign tourists for nearly two years on Thursday, but just a handful of visitors were on board to enter strict quarantine on arrival.

A Garuda Indonesia flight from Tokyo arrived in Bali this afternoon, with six foreigners and six Indonesians aboard, said Ida Ayu Indah Yustikarini, an official at the Bali Government Tourism Office, reports Reuters.

Though the island officially opened to visitors from China, New Zealand, Japan and a few other countries in mid-October, there have been no direct non-cargo flights since then.