Bali has set the date Australians will need start paying a tourist tax to enter the popular holiday island.
International travellers will be charged IDR 150,000 each (about $15) from February 14 next year, including children.
Tjok Bagus Pemayun, head of the Bali Tourism Office, confirmed the date to local media, saying it would be in place earlier than first anticipated.
At this stage it has been said the fee will need to be paid on each visit to Bali, meaning those landing in Bali and heading off to islands that are not part of Bali province, such as Gili Islands and Lombok, will need to pay a second time when returning to Bali.
The tourist tax was made official in July but a date had not been set.
Bali Governor Wayan Koster said the funds would be used for “the environment, culture and [to] build better quality infrastructure”.
The $15 tax is significantly less than initially proposed, with reports in May suggesting the Indonesian Government was considering a tax between $45 and $150.
Supporters of the tax say it will help improve the quality of tourists visiting.
It is in addition to the cost of a visa.
Australian tourists can get a Visa on Arrival (VOA) at Bali Airport, which allows them to stay for 30 days, for about $50 (IDR 500,000).
The tourist tax is just one of a series of new measures introduced this year to improve tourism.
Bali has released an official tourist dos and don’ts list in an effort to control unruly foreigners, established a hotline for anyone to dob in misbehaving tourists, as well as a special task force to monitor foreigners’ activities (Bali Becik).
The latest move was officials asking hotels, resorts and other short-term holiday rentals to submit guest data to a “Foreigner Reporting App” to help the Indonesian government monitor their whereabouts and activities.
In a recent news.com.au poll more than 200 Australian travellers said they were given the tourist dos and don’ts list and think it is a great idea.
Another 38 said they were given the list but thought it was a waste of paper, about a dozen said they got the pamphlet at Bali Airport but didn’t pay much attention, and almost 270 said they never saw the list of rules during their recent trip.