Garuda Indonesia chief executive Emirsyah Satar says he expects traffic on the popular Australia-Bali route to stay strong in the period ahead.

Bali has proved one of Australia's most popular tourist destinations in recent times, with the relatively close distance and high Australian dollar prompting thousands to flock to the Indonesian resort town for holidays.

Garuda, the national flag carrier of Indonesia, competes alongside Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Indonesia AirAsia for a share of the rapidly growing market.

There were 1.88 million passengers that travelled between Indonesia and Australia in the 12 months to July 2011, according to figures from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE), up 24.8 per cent from the prior year.

That puts Indonesia in fifth spot in terms of passenger numbers in and out of Australia, and the pace of growth was second only to the emerging Chinese market.

"We see that the growth will continue," Mr Satar said during a recent visit to Australia.

"The Australian dollar is getting stronger so therefore going to Bali is much cheaper that probably even going to vacation somewhere in Australia."

Figures from the BITRE show that there are more than 500 flights each month between Australia and Denpasar.

In the 12 months to July 2011, 778,049 passengers travelled between Denpasar and Perth, up 17.1 per cent from the prior year and more than double what was achieved in 2008.

"I see Australians in Bali and I think they feel at home in Bali," Mr Satar said.