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ICANN has confirmed that its ICANN87 Annual General Meeting will now take place in Bali, Indonesia, instead of Muscat, Oman. (references are towards the end of this post).
The meeting is still scheduled for 17 to 22 October 2026, but the venue has changed to the Bali International Convention Centre, which is connected to The Westin Resort Nusa Dua.
I am writing this from practical experience. I travel to many domain industry conferences, and over the years I have learned the hard way how much a poorly chosen connection, a last-minute ticket, or an unstable transit hub can affect the whole journey. Most recently, I was stuck in Dubai for three days during war-related travel disruption, while only being there in transit.
That is why this ICANN change is not just a small calendar update. For people travelling from the UK, it changes the whole travel plan.
ICANN’s Board approved the move on 3 May 2026. The reason given was the ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East and the risk that travel and security issues could affect the meeting in Muscat. ICANN has thanked the Omani host and local partners, and it looks like Oman may still host an ICANN meeting in the future, but not this one.
For UK-based domain investors, registrars, consultants, lawyers and others who follow ICANN closely, Bali may be a more practical destination in the current situation. It is still a long journey, and there are no direct scheduled flights from London to Bali, but the routing options through Asia may be easier to manage than relying on some Middle East connections while the regional situation remains unstable.
British passport holders do need a visa for Indonesia. In many cases this can be handled as a 30-day Visa on Arrival or through the official Indonesian eVisa system before travel. Travellers should also check passport validity, return or onward ticket requirements, and the Bali tourist levy.
The important point for British residents is that visa rules depend on your passport, not just where you live. A UK resident travelling on a non-British passport should check the Indonesian rules for that nationality.
The flight question is probably the biggest practical issue. Before the recent disruption, many UK-to-Asia routes naturally went through Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi. These hubs are usually convenient, but in the current climate they may carry more risk of changes, delays, cancellations or difficult rebooking if the situation worsens again.
Personally, if I were booking early (for me, ticket costs are always important factor - especially when you travel a lot), I would first look at routes through Istanbul (tickets to/from Turkey often are one of the cheapest ones). A single through-ticket is also safer than separate tickets, especially on a long trip like this. Saving a small amount on the ticket can become very expensive if the first flight is delayed and the second airline treats you as a no-show.
ICANN87 will be an important meeting for the domain name industry, especially with the next round of new gTLDs, registry service provider work, DNS abuse discussions, registration data access and wider ICANN policy work all moving forward.
The location has changed, but the meeting is still going ahead.
For Acorn members who are planning to attend it, the practical work now starts with checking visas, flights, insurance and safer connection routes.
Sources/References:
ICANN Board resolution:
https://www.icann.org/en/board-acti...g-of-the-icann-board-03-05-2026-en#section2.f
ICANN announcement:
https://www.icann.org/en/announceme...ng-to-be-held-in-bali-indonesia-02-06-2026-en
GOV.UK Indonesia entry requirements:
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/indonesia/entry-requirements
Official Indonesian eVisa website:
https://evisa.imigrasi.go.id/
The meeting is still scheduled for 17 to 22 October 2026, but the venue has changed to the Bali International Convention Centre, which is connected to The Westin Resort Nusa Dua.
I am writing this from practical experience. I travel to many domain industry conferences, and over the years I have learned the hard way how much a poorly chosen connection, a last-minute ticket, or an unstable transit hub can affect the whole journey. Most recently, I was stuck in Dubai for three days during war-related travel disruption, while only being there in transit.
That is why this ICANN change is not just a small calendar update. For people travelling from the UK, it changes the whole travel plan.
ICANN’s Board approved the move on 3 May 2026. The reason given was the ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East and the risk that travel and security issues could affect the meeting in Muscat. ICANN has thanked the Omani host and local partners, and it looks like Oman may still host an ICANN meeting in the future, but not this one.
For UK-based domain investors, registrars, consultants, lawyers and others who follow ICANN closely, Bali may be a more practical destination in the current situation. It is still a long journey, and there are no direct scheduled flights from London to Bali, but the routing options through Asia may be easier to manage than relying on some Middle East connections while the regional situation remains unstable.
British passport holders do need a visa for Indonesia. In many cases this can be handled as a 30-day Visa on Arrival or through the official Indonesian eVisa system before travel. Travellers should also check passport validity, return or onward ticket requirements, and the Bali tourist levy.
The important point for British residents is that visa rules depend on your passport, not just where you live. A UK resident travelling on a non-British passport should check the Indonesian rules for that nationality.
The flight question is probably the biggest practical issue. Before the recent disruption, many UK-to-Asia routes naturally went through Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi. These hubs are usually convenient, but in the current climate they may carry more risk of changes, delays, cancellations or difficult rebooking if the situation worsens again.
Personally, if I were booking early (for me, ticket costs are always important factor - especially when you travel a lot), I would first look at routes through Istanbul (tickets to/from Turkey often are one of the cheapest ones). A single through-ticket is also safer than separate tickets, especially on a long trip like this. Saving a small amount on the ticket can become very expensive if the first flight is delayed and the second airline treats you as a no-show.
ICANN87 will be an important meeting for the domain name industry, especially with the next round of new gTLDs, registry service provider work, DNS abuse discussions, registration data access and wider ICANN policy work all moving forward.
The location has changed, but the meeting is still going ahead.
For Acorn members who are planning to attend it, the practical work now starts with checking visas, flights, insurance and safer connection routes.
Sources/References:
ICANN Board resolution:
https://www.icann.org/en/board-acti...g-of-the-icann-board-03-05-2026-en#section2.f
ICANN announcement:
https://www.icann.org/en/announceme...ng-to-be-held-in-bali-indonesia-02-06-2026-en
GOV.UK Indonesia entry requirements:
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/indonesia/entry-requirements
Official Indonesian eVisa website:
https://evisa.imigrasi.go.id/
