The regional government of Bali has announced that tourists will have to pay a tax of 150,000 rupiah (the equivalent of 10 dollars or 9 euros) to enter the country. The new measure is expected to enter into force in 2024. The fee, to be paid in local currency, will be collected at entry points to the island, such as the Ngurah Rai International Airport. The revenue will be used to build infrastructure and preserve culture on this tourist island and will be managed by an official body that will act in a “transparent and responsible” manner.
More than two million tourists visited the island in 2022, according to official figures. Authorities have decided to strengthen measures against foreigners residing without permission or misbehaving since the reopening of the island after the pandemic.
In June, Bali’s governor announced his decision to crack down on indecent behavior from tourists. Over the past few months, local authorities have been deploring a number of incivilities on Indonesia‘s southern island. Authorities are considering a number of bans to protect the island’s sacred natural sites.
These mountains are revered. If their sacredness is damaged, it is tantamount to degrading the sacredness of Bali.
Wayan Koster, Governor of Bali
Some tourists have behaved in dangerous or offensive manners towards the islanders. Nude photos in sacred places, filming pornographic videos on high peaks considered to be deities, risky driving, degradation of protected natural areas. In less than half a year, around a hundred tourists have been deported
“These mountains are sacred and revered,” Bali’s governor, Wayan Koster, said in a press conference about a ban on climbing sacred sites, reported by CNN. “If their sacredness is damaged, it is tantamount to degrading the sacredness of Bali. This ban is in effect forever and is not only for foreign tourists but also domestic tourists and local residents. With the exception of religious ceremonies or the handling of natural disasters.”
A Russian tourist was expelled last April after she posed naked, from the waist down, in a photograph in front of Mount Agung, considered sacred on the Indonesian island where Hinduism is the majority religion. “The deportation has been carried out because (the Russian tourist) has committed a dishonorable act, deliberately pulling down his pants and showing his genitals in front of Mount Agung,” Bali Governor Wayan Koster said in a statement.
In the spring of 2023, a Russian woman posed nude for photos in front of a sacred tree and uploaded the images to her social media, as reported by The Independent. She was later deported. Between 43,000 and 53,000 Russian nationals are expected to arrive in Bali in early 2023. The influx is thought to be directly linked to the invasion of Ukraine and their wish to avoid the military draft.
