Bali Issues Electronic Tax on Tourist of $10 to Preserve Culture

Jakarta – Bali issues new regulation for tourists, where they have to pay an entrance fee of US10 or IDR 149 thousand per person. This was announced by the Bali Tourism Office.

According to a circular letter issued by the Bali Tourism Office, the fee, which will take effect from January 1, 2024, will be used for environmental and cultural preservation programs in Bali.

Under the regulation, foreign tourists will pay the fee to the immigration officer at the airport or port when they arrive in Bali, and will receive a receipt and sticker as proof of payment.

Travelers must keep the receipt and sticker until they leave Bali.

Based on official data, Bali, which has a population of around 4.2 million, received more than 6.2 million foreign tourists in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

However, that number dropped to just one million in 2020, and less than 100,000 in the first half of 2021.

"This entry fee is expected to help maintain the quality of tourism in Bali and support sustainable development," Head of the Bali Provincial Tourism Office, Putu Astawa said.

"This policy is expected to increase the awareness and responsibility of foreign tourists to help preserve Bali's environment and culture."

Last week, Bali Governor Wayan Koster said that he wants to make Bali a destination for quality tourists who respect the local culture and environment by following the example of Bhutan, a country that limits the number of foreign visitors and charges them high fees.

This comes after a series of scandals involving foreign visitors in Bali, such as two Russian bloggers who got naked at a temple and a woman from Germany who interrupted a temple ceremony in the nude way.