Indonesia is expecting to bring in more than $18 million from Australians paying its new tourist levy in Bali this year.
The 150,000IDR (about $15) fee foreign tourists now need to pay to enter the wildly popular Indonesian island comes into effect on February 14.
It follows a year of efforts to crackdown on mass tourism and unruly foreigners who have angered authorities and locals by taking nude photos with sacred trees, stripping naked in temples, and exposing themselves in other ways.
Bali authorities are also fed-up with foreigners not following traffic rules like wearing helmets, so much so a ban on renting motorbikes was flagged.
An official tourist dos and don’ts list was released, a hotline was established for anyone to dob in misbehaving travellers, and a special task force was set up to monitor foreigners’ activities.
Australians are Bali’s top foreign visitors, with more than 1.2 millions Aussies travelling there last year.
Indonesia has pleaded with Australian tourists to not only respect local customs but explore more of the country beyond Bali, and the Australian government has urged travellers to listen to Indonesia’s pleas to behave.
Indonesian Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno told news.com.au the new tourist levy would be used to help protect Bali’s culture and customs, and environment to create sustainable tourism.
“In the future, the collection of [tourist levy] fees in Bali will protect nature and keep it clean and sustainable,” he said.
“But it also plays a vital role in protecting and promoting Balinese culture, which includes customs, traditions, cultural arts, and local wisdom to maintain Bali’s spiritual aura.”
He said the funds were also “expected to improve Bali’s cultural tourism information services and build quality public transportation infrastructure and facilities”.
The government’s Love Bali website explains that the plan is to develop integrated land, sea and air infrastructure.
Indonesia’s Deputy Tourism Minister Ni Made Ayu Marthini told news.com.au when she visited Melbourne last October, primarily the funds will be used to “improve waste management, preserve cultural sites and the local environment.”
Waste management has long been a problem at the popular holiday destination with recent photos of Kuta beach showing it overrun with mounds of plastic bottles, food containers and abandoned shopping bags.
Based on tourism figures from last year, Indonesia is expecting the $15 tourist levy will generate more than $18 million from Australians alone.
There has been some confusion about whether travellers will need to pay the fee twice if they visit nearby islands, like Lombok and the Gili Islands, and then return to Bali in the same holiday.
Mr Uno confirmed to news.com.au the tourist levy would only need to be paid once by foreign visitors during a trip to Indonesia.
“You could fly to Bali, pay the fee, visit Jakarta [the country’s capital] and then return to Bali and not have to pay again,” he said. “However if you were to go from Bali to Bangkok [Thailand] and then back to Bali, you would need to pay again.”
The fee should be paid online before touching down in Bali.