February 06, 2024, 12:52 PM
Planning a Valentine's Day getaway to Bali?
You will have to pay a new tourist tax of IDR150,000 (about S$12.80) if you're a foreign visitor entering the island from Feb. 14, 2024 onwards.
The tax was announced last July by the Bali government, as a way to help the resort island preserve its culture and natural environment.
It applies to all international tourists regardless of age, and will be paid electronically.
How to pay
Tourists can pay the levy via the LoveBali website or on their official app.
They will then receive a voucher sent to their registered email, which they can scan for entry at the island's checkpoints.
Alternatively, the tax can be paid upon arrival at airports and harbours in Bali.
When Mothership checked the website on Feb. 6, the payment system hadn't gone live yet.
Screenshot from LoveBali website.
Instead, there was a notice which perhaps acknowledged the coincidence of the starting date for the levy.
"This exciting feature goes live on the sweetest day of the year - February 14, 2024!" it stated.
Why the tax?
According to a government notice, the tourist tax will support the protection of Balinese customs and traditions, as well as the preservation of nature on the island.
The contribution also goes towards improving service quality and Balinese cultural tourism management.
The tourist tax was one of the solutions proposed after many foreign tourists were found misbehaving on the island in 2023, following the relaxing of pandemic travel restrictions.
A Bali official confirmed that 213 foreigners had been deported from January to August 2023, according to the Bali Sun.
Two notable culprits were a Russian influencer who staged a nude photoshoot under a 700-year-old tree, and a Russian blogger who exposed his naked buttocks atop a Balinese volcano.
The local government has since issued a new circular of dos and don'ts for tourists, and has also considered banning tourists from mountains on the island.
Top image from Unsplash.
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