Bali’s Tourism Tax Has Generated Over $7 Million Since February 

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The Bali Provincial Government has confirmed that the Bali Tourism Tax Levy initiative, introduced in February this year, has generated a whopping IDR 117 billion, or USD 7.1 million.

The policy requires all international arrivals to Bali to pay IDR 150,000 (USD 10) to contribute to protecting the island’s nature and culture and leveling up tourism infrastructure.

Speaking to reporters, the Head of Marketing for the Bali Provincial Tourism Office, Ida Ayu Indah Yustikarini, explained that while there is no specific budget plan in place to outline how these funds will be spent, work is in the pipeline.

She told reporters, “The planes will use it in the revised (APBD) budget around October 2024.”

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The Bali Tourism Tax has gotten off to a somewhat of a shaking start, with initial data showing that around 60% of foreign tourists failed to make their payments in the first two months that the levy policy was in place.

However, data from more recent spot checks conducted by the Tourism Task Force show that more people are able to present their QR-code levy if stopped by tourism officers outside top attractions.

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The Bali Tourism Tax has been written into law, as regulated in Regional Regulation of Bali Province Number 6 of 2023, concerning Levy for International Tourists for the Protection of Balinese Culture and Natural Environment.

The initial outlines presented by the Bali Provincial Government, Love Bali, and Wonderful Indonesia show that the funds will be used to help ‘nurture nature,’ ‘preserve culture,’ and ‘improve tourism services.’

However, early this week, the Acting Governor of Bali, Sang Made Mahendra Jaya, also confirmed that there is no clear plan for utilizing this huge amount of tourism supported funding as of yet. 

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Acting Governor Jaya explained to reporters earlier this week, “We will continue to socialize this [tax] to every foreign tourist who comes to Bali.”

“This fee has not been detained for anything in detail. In the APBD (provincial budget), new changes will be discussed. We must be accountable for this levy, not only to the people of Bali but to the world.”

Speaking late last year, the Acting Governor said that 50-70% of initial funds would be spent on first tackling the island’s waste management issues, a comment that garnered mixed reactions from Bali lovers.

More recently the Mayor of Denpasar has requested that 5-10% of the Bali Tourism Tax funds get invested in supporting Indonesian Hindus residing outside of the province of Bali, to help support Hindu culture around the archipelago. 

It was initially predicted that the Bali Tourism Tax would generate over USD 36 million annually, while in 2024 this may be a little lower than initial targets, a sizeable chunk of funds will be generated by the new policy. 

What is clear is that still, even as high season approaches, not all eligible foreign arrivals to Bali are paying their IDR 150,000 fee.

Initially, tourist cited simply not knowing about the new policy as their reason for not making their contribution. There were also heaps of issues with the Love Bali website, app, and payment portal.

While the Love Bali app and website appear to be running consistently now, there are still moments when a 403 Forbidden notice shows on the website and other error messages.

The website generally fails to load if the user has a VPN working in the background. 

In light of tourist arrivals still not always paying their Bali Tourism Tax, the Head of the Bali Tourism Department, Tjokorda Bagus Pemayun, confirmed that moving forward, two checks will be carried out every month at top attractions on the island.

The spot checks have been happening periodically since March and appear to be a successful method for the Bali Tourism Office to both check QR-code vouchers and talk to tourists about the tax fund. 

Pemayun told reporters, “We hope that travel agents and hotels will urge tourists to always bring proof of payment when traveling, and tourists will also be asked to show their QR code to officers when checking.”