Bali looks set to reopen to international travellers in September, with domestic travel resuming from this week.

Bali Governor Wayan Koster told local media that if local COVID-19 transmission rates remained low after the resumption of domestic travel, the island would reopen its borders to foreign tourists in September.

He did stress, however, that the reopening situation needed to be flexible and that Bali was currently focused on combatting the pandemic and decreasing local transmission, reported The Bali Sun.

“Once again, I emphasise, this is just a plan, not a schedule that will definitely be implemented,” he explained to assembled media in a press conference. “Whether or not this is carried out will greatly depend on the situation and the dynamics of the development of COVID-19 in the field, especially local transmission in Bali.”

Meanwhile, the Indonesian government is reportedly sketching out plans for an Asia Pacific travel bubble between Australia, China, South Korea and Japan.

“For the initial stage we are opening [our borders] firstly to those four countries, and other countries will follow suit, and of course health protocols will be prioritised,” Deputy coordinating minister for maritime affairs and investment Odo Manuhutu told a virtual news conference in June.

In a positive sign for Bali’s economy, which relies heavily on tourism, Qatar Airways resumed its services to the island this week and will operate flights along the route seven times per week.

Related: Queensland is reopening its borders to all states, except Victoria, from this week.