A tax equivalent to 10 US dollars per foreign holidaymaker will be required in Bali from 2024, announced Wednesday the authorities who want to finance the preservation of this ultra-frequented Indonesian island.
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“The payment of a tax by foreign tourists will apply only once during their visit to Bali,” Governor I Wayan Koster told local elected officials.
The tax, of 150,000 Indonesian rupees, will have to be paid electronically and will apply to foreign tourists arriving from overseas and other parts of Indonesia, he said.
Indonesian tourists will be exempt.
Asked whether this entry fee might not scare away visitors, Mr. Koster indicated that the authorities had no fear on this side.
“This is not a problem. We will use it for the environment, culture, and build better infrastructure, so that travel in Bali will be more comfortable and safer,” he told reporters.
The tourism sector has suffered greatly in Bali during the Covid-19 pandemic due to border closures.
The sector began to recover from March 2022 and the removal of quarantine for vaccinated travelers from more than 20 countries and the reinstatement of visas on arrival.
More than two million tourists visited the famous island in 2022, according to official figures.
Famous for its tropical reefs, temples and nightlife, the island has taken a tough stance against tourists disrespecting its laws and beliefs.
Last month, a Danish woman was deported after she was filmed in the saddle on a motorbike flashing passers-by. And in April, it was a Russian who had been hunted for a nude selfie in front of a sacred tree.
The local authorities managed to publish a special guide for tourists in June, at the request of the island’s immigration office.