Tourism
From today, foreign tourists will pay a levy of 150,000 rupiah, the equivalent of 9 euros, to enter Bali. The Indonesian island is thus following in the footsteps of Venice and Bhutan.
Frigobox tourism, mass tourism, overtourism, tourism tsunami: it is almost impossible to keep up with the negative words for the hordes of tourists who have been flooding popular travel destinations for years. After Venice, Bali now also plans to tackle the phenomenon more strictly.
The popular Indonesian island is introducing a general tourist tax of 150,000 rupiah (9 euros) for all foreign tourists from today, Valentine’s Day. And this applies to both incoming tourists from abroad and from other parts of the country. Foreign travelers are urged to pay via the Love Bali website before arrival.
5 euros in Venice
The intervention is reminiscent of Venice, where day-trippers will have to pay an entrance fee of 5 euros on busy days from the beginning of this year. Tourists aged fourteen and over will have to show a QR code to enter the Italian city.
According to the Indonesian authorities, the tax in Bali is intended to protect the environment and culture of the island against mass tourism. In the first ten months of last year, almost 4.8 million tourists visited the island. Bali is known for its pristine beaches and high surfing waves, but also for its beautiful landscapes.
Nuisance is growing
Because more and more tourists misbehave or cause nuisance, dissatisfaction among the local population has increased in recent years. In March 2023, a Russian man was deported from Bali after posing nude on Mount Agung, believed by Hindus to be the home of the gods. Which reminded many of 2021, when a video circulated of a Russian couple making love on Mount Batur, another holy site.
Last year, Indonesian authorities announced a ban on foreign tourists renting motorcycles any longer, mainly because many tourists do not respect traffic rules. “If you are a tourist here, act like a tourist,” was the urgent call from the local authorities at the time.
Peperduur Bhutan
The question is whether the new tax will help Bali to curb mass tourism. The tax may be too low for that. Especially if you compare it with the tax that Bhutan will apply from the end of September 2022. The ‘last kingdom of the Himalayas’ then imposed a ‘sustainability tax’ of $200 per person and per day on all foreign tourists. And that officially to “compensate the CO₂ footprint”.
