Bali Asked To Urgently Revaluate Tourist Visa On Arrival 

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Tourism leaders in Bali are calling on the government to reevaluate the visa-on-arrival policy.

At present, the visa-on-arrival and e-visa-on-arrival allow tourists from over 90 countries to visit Indonesia, including Bali, for up to 30 days for the cost of IDR 500,000. 

In light of a recent rise in the number of reports of foreigners behaving badly, including reports of theft, drunk and disorderly behavior, abusing staff, working illegally, and driving recklessly.

The Bali Tourism Industry Association is calling on the government to investigate whether the visa-on-arrival policy needs to be changed. 

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The Chairman for the Indonesian Tourism Industry Associate in Bali, Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana, spoke with reporters from Nusa Dua on Wednesday, 12th June.

Adnyana said, “Previously, we were too welcoming; now we are even stricter, filtering the quality of tourist arrivals.”

He explained how tourism stakeholders in Bali would not be worried if immigration policies for tourists were made more strict since there is an increasing emphasis on higher-quality tourism across the island.

Adnyana said “we are ready to brave the impact of tightening visas. In fact the industry now wants tourist arrivals to be stricter, not just in numbers but in really respecting the local [culture].”

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Tourism leaders on the island want to see the rules about what tourists can and can’t do both made tighter and for existing laws to be enforced more seriously.

The Deputy for Marketing at the Indonesian Minster for Tourism and Creative Economies, Ni Made Ayu Marthini, said “the policy has an impact, so we are careful…If foreigners violate the law, there will be be strict law enforcement.”

Marthini added that policy changes when it comes to visas and immigration law ultimately falls on the desk of the Directorate General of Immigration, Silmy Karin and his teams. H

However, she confirmed that the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economies could work in partnership with immigration authorities to advise and consult on what policy changes could be effective. 

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Marthini also confirmed that efforts are underway to better communicate Indonesia’s expectations of tourists and foreigners doing business in the country.

This includes educational resources and better socialization of rules and regulations so no one can be left in any doubt about what is and isn’t culturally respectful behavior. 

So far this year, the Bali Ministry of Law and Human Rights has deported 135 foreigners from 41 countries around the world. The highest number of deportees held Australian passports, with 18 Aussies nationals sent back to the Land Down Under.

This was closely followed by 17 Russian nationals, 14 USA passport holders, and 8 British passport holders.

The violations committed by the 135 deported immigrants ranged from prison releases being sent home, overstaying of visas, theft, and breaking of visa conditions. In 2023, a total of 340 foreigners were deported from Bali. 

All this said, the number of foreigners who have reported breaking the law and disrespecting local culture in Bali is still comparatively minuscule.

The island is targeting to welcome 7 million international arrivals this year, but with figures for April only just released and revealing that just over 4 million international tourists have already visited the province, targets will surely be smashed by the end of December. 

One of the ways in which Bali has tried to help ensure that tourism is supporting the respect and preservation of loan culture was to introduce the Bali Tourism Tax back in February; the initial plans were clear that the funds would be used to support tourism development, preservation culture, and nature.

This week, the Acting Governor of Bali said that there was no detailed plan laid out about where funds will be spent. 

With the majority of tourists now paying for both their visa on arrival (previously free for most holidaymakers) and the tourism tax too, Bali lovers are increasingly keen to see their investment in the island spent wisely, and the unruly behavior of a small minority of fellow travels curbed as quickly as possible before more rules are tightened.