The future of Bali tourism is up in the air as government says it must make changes

Roughly 200,000 foreigners currently live in Bali

Foreign tourists shop for souvenirs in Bali, Indonesia (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Indonesia has said it will make changes to the island of Bali after an influx of problem tourism.

The government will conduct an audit to reform tourism on the tropical island of Bali to improve tourism quality and preserve local culture and jobs, a senior minister said on Friday.

About 200,000 foreigners currently live in Bali and have created problems such as crime, over-development and competition for employment, Luhut Pandjaitan, senior minister overseeing tourism said on his Instagram page.

“Foreign tourists who bring problem here, such as narcotics, gangs, and other issues, we can deport them from Indonesia, from Bali, and we don’t want them to enter Bali anymore,” he said, speaking in English in a video clip.

Foreign arrivals in Bali have surged since the island reopened after COVID, and videos of misbehaving tourists often go viral, angering local residents and sparking harsh responses from social media users in Indonesia.

Foreign travellers now face a tourist tax of $10 (£7.70) per person before they can enter the popular backpacking destination.

The 150,000 rupiah levy, has been introduced in a bid to preserve the island’s cultural integrity and crack down on a rise in “unruly behaviour” from visitors.

Tourists entering from abroad will have to pay the one-time fee electronically prior to or during their visit to Bali. Domestic Indonesian travellers will be exempted from the tax.

Tropical blue ocean, sandy beach and boats in Indonesia, Bali (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Data from Indonesia’s statistics bureau shows that 2.9 million foreign visitors entered the island through Bali airport in the first half of this year, accounting for 65% of Indonesia’s total foreign arrivals by air for the period.

Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno said earlier this month that the government wants to avoid “a situation like Barcelona, where tourists became public enemies,” national news agency Antara reported.

Luhut said the government will also tackle trash problems on the island, improve infrastructure and prevent further over-development.

“We don’t want to see paddy fields become a villa or become a nude club,” he said. “For us, quality is more important than numbers.”

Public nudity is illegal in Indonesia and there are no strip clubs in Bali, although there are nightclubs and discos that feature in-house dancers.

The government will soon announce a policy plan for reforming Bali’s tourism, Luhut said