Bali is on a mission to attract more “classy” tourists, with one Indonesian leader suggesting low-budget travellers are engaging in problematic behaviour and a tourist tax should be introduced.
The holiday hotspot is going to great efforts to stop foreigners misbehaving.
There is the proposed ban on tourists using motorbikes. There is hotel workers being instructed to educate foreign guests on what they can and can’t do. There is an official campaign cracking down on unruly behaviour with large billboards expected to be installed.
And now there is talk of imposing a tax on tourists.
Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, an influential senior Indonesian politician, is pushing for Bali to focus on “quality tourism” instead of “mass tourism”.
“I also request for the implementation of a tax on tourists entering Indonesia to be realised immediately,” he wrote in an Instagram post this week, according to an English translation by local news outlet Coconuts Bali.
“This incentive will be very useful for financing destination development and tourism promotion, as has been implemented in several countries that have large tourism industries,” he continued.
“I also request that an assessment be conducted immediately for a disincentive policy for foreign nationals from several countries who are often problematic. This is important to be done so that incoming tourists are well-selected.”
The politician, who is officially Indonesia’s Maritime and Investment Affairs Minister but known to many Indonesians as “Lord Luhut”, pointed out that Bali was a very cheap country for tourists to visit and suggested this was part of the problem.
“This has encouraged many low-income foreign visitors to come to Bali, leading to a rise in unruly behaviour,” he said.
Mr Luhut had started his Instagram post quoting an American tourist who was filmed saying “you want to steal money?” to a police officer in Bali who had stopped him for riding a scooter without a helmet.
“We must not stay silent on acts of breaking the law especially with insulting state institutions,” Mr Luhut wrote of the incident.
Last week, the chairman of the Regional People’s Legislative Council of the Province of Bali (DPRD Bali) also made his feelings about tourists clear.
“We need tourists, but tourists who are classy, not tourists who throw tantrums,” Nyoman Adi Wiryatama told provincial leaders at a meeting, according to The Bali Sun.
He said he supported strong action against tourists breaking the law.
“If necessary, just deport from Bali,” he said.
On Monday, Indonesia’s director general of immigration Silmy Karim revealed in the first three months of the year, 620 foreigners had been deported from Indonesia.
Violations included misusing visas and residence permits, overstaying, disrupting public order, misbehaving, and not complying with Indonesian regulations.
“My directions are quite clear, enforce the law properly and humanely. There is no room for compromise for foreigners who disturb security and order, as well as the wheels of the people’s economy,” he said.