If you are heading to Bali soon, you must know the laws and local customs.
That is the advice from travel experts as the Indonesian island cracks down on misbehaving tourists.
In the first three months of the year, 620 foreigners were deported from Indonesia, according to the director general of immigration. Reasons included the foreigners misusing visas and residence permits, overstaying, disrupting public order, misbehaving, and not complying with Indonesian regulations.
The latest deportation case to hit the headlines was a Russian woman who was arrested in her Bali villa this week over a nude picture at a sacred tree, reportedly to have been taken and originally uploaded to Instagram two years ago. She had been living in the country on an investor visa.
It is obvious Bali authorities are fed-up with misbehaving foreigners.
There has been talk of imposing a tax on tourists.
Bali’s governor has flagged a proposed ban on tourists using motorbikes and requested Russian and Ukrainian tourists to no longer be allowed to get a visa on arrival in Indonesia.
Hotel workers are being instructed to educate foreign guests on what they can and can’t do, and there is an official campaign cracking down on unruly behaviour with large billboards expected to be installed.
Ravindra Singh Shekhawat, who is the general manager for Bali operations at Melbourne-based tour company Intrepid Travel, moved to the island in February last year.
He told news.com.au his observations were that only a “very small” percentage of tourists behave unruly but recently it was increasing.
“Recently there has been an increase in tourists not following the local laws and respecting local culture and traditions, including instances of tourists getting into heated arguments with local police for not wearing helmets or breaking traffic laws,” he said.
“Police have responded to this unruly behaviour by increasing their routine checks on the ground, such as driver licence checks and drink and driving checks.”
Mr Singh Shekhawat said tourists must ensure they understand the local customs, traditions and local laws before they visit to avoid trouble.
“Bali is a perfect place for a holiday with family, friends, and even solo, but travellers must understand the rules and act accordingly,” he warned.
He added Intrepid’s local tour leaders made sure they informed their travellers of what they can and can’t do – something the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association and Bali’s tourism board is pushing for across the tourism industry.
Stephanie Yip, a travel expert at comparison website Finder, said good manners and respect were important no matter where you were travelling, and it was easy in Bali.
“It’s very easy to stay out of trouble and have the holiday that you’ve been dreaming of,” she said.
“Before you leave home, look up etiquette rules and local laws for your holiday destination. “When you’re at a tourist attraction, don’t ignore the signage. It’s there to guide you on what is and isn’t permitted. If you’re renting a car or motorcycle, look up the road rules before you drive off to avoid any unnecessary fines or accidents.
“For a popular destination like Bali there’s so much signage and information available regarding etiquette and customs.”
Ms Yip pointed out that the consequence of ignoring them could be a hefty fine or being kicked out of the country.