For better infrastructure: Bali will soon introduce tourist tax

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During the summer, tourism officials on the Indonesian resort island of Bali announced a future tourist tax. Details are now available.

The new tax will go into effect on February 14, 2024. From then on, every visitor, regardless of age or origin, will be charged 150,000 rupees (equivalent to approximately 8.60 francs). The fee is not tied to a specific validity period, but is requested each time you enter the country. Anyone visiting other Indonesian islands such as Java or Lombok will have to pay again when they return to Bali. Only the neighboring islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan, which belong to the province of Bali, are exempt from the regulation, so after a short trip there is no need to pay the fee a second time.

The fee for a visa valid for 30 days is still 500,000 rupees (about 28.70 francs).

The aim of the new tourism tax was to maintain or improve the island’s tourism infrastructure. According to the latest information, the money will be invested primarily in waste management.

Long queues scared

However, the “overtourism” problem will not be solved with the new tax. On the contrary: There are fears that check and collection queues will continue to grow at the chronically overloaded airport in Denpasar, Bali. According to a post from Bali tourism officials, advance payment of tourist tax will probably not be possible until then.

Approximately 15,000 people come to Bali every day. The island, which is slightly smaller than the canton of Bern with an area of ​​5,577 square kilometers, was visited by 6.3 million people in 2019. After the pandemic, visitor numbers increased rapidly again and are expected to reach this level soon.

Source :Blick