Bali launches $10 tourist tax

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Foreign travellers visiting the Indonesian island of Bali will now face a tourist tax of $10 (£7.70) per individual earlier than they will enter the favored backpacking vacation spot.

The 150,000 rupiah levy, efficient from at present (14 February), has been launched in a bid to protect the island’s cultural integrity and crack down on an increase in “unruly behaviour” from guests.

Tourists getting into from overseas should pay the one-time charge electronically previous to or throughout their go to to Bali. Domestic Indonesian travellers shall be exempted from the tax.

Island governor I Wayan Koster stated that the tax shall be used for the setting, tradition and constructing “better quality infrastructure” to enhance the security and luxury of those that make the journey to Indonesia’s most well-known island.

Over 4 million overseas vacationers flocked to Bali in 2023, in accordance with Bali’s Central Bureau of Statistics, with Australian guests the commonest arrivals.

The ‘Love Bali’ initiative by the Bali Provincial Government states that the brand new monetary assist will assist the transfer in the direction of sustainable inexperienced tourism on the island.

“Efforts and innovations will continue to be made for the maintenance, culture and the natural environment in Bali. There will also continue to be an improvement in the quality of services,” they added.

The new levy coincides with Indonesia’s nationwide elections on Wednesday, 14 February. Foreign Office recommendation urges British travellers to be “more vigilant in the weeks before and after the vote,” when getting into Indonesian vacation locations.

Bali isn’t the primary vacation large to sort out the results of overtourism utilizing entry charges.

From spring this 12 months, Italian hotspot Venice will cost daytrippers €5 (£4.26) to enter the historic canalside centre utilizing a ticketing system to restrict the numbers pouring in.

Plans will initially be carried out as a 30-day trial and there shall be exemptions for commuters, college students and vacationers who keep within the metropolis in a single day.