With Bali set to welcome more than 7 million tourists in 2026, leaders are working to ensure that everyone on the island feels safe and abides by the law.
While the vast majority of foreigners in Bali respect local culture and customs, some choose to break the law, engage in criminal activity, and pose a threat to public order.
As Bali welcomes an increasing number of tourists and foreign visitors, leaders want to enhance security and surveillance.
Bali’s Governor Wayan Koster has urged the Bali Regional Police to take serious action against unruly foreign tourists, drug networks, and online gambling groups, which pose a threat to the island’s image as a world-class tourist destination.
One of the reasons Bali continues to grow in tourist demand is that the province has been ranked the best destination in the world for 2026 by TripAdvisor.
Bali has consistently been named among the world’s top travel destinations over the last twenty years and is home to dozens of internationally acclaimed hotels and resorts.
Governor Koster attended the 2026 Bali Police Leadership Meeting this week in Denpasar, which was led directly by the Bali Police Chief, Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya, at the Bali Police Precision Building. The meeting was attended by all Police Chiefs and Resort Police Chiefs throughout Bali and their staff.
Governor Koster explained, “In 2024, Bali tourism also contributed to the country’s foreign exchange, with Bali’s tourism foreign exchange reaching IDR 167 trillion, or contributing 53.6 percent of Indonesia’s total tourism foreign exchange, which was IDR 312 trillion.” He noted that tourism’s contribution to the provincial economy continues to grow, even in early 2026.
This, however, has not been all smooth sailing. Bali Police have recorded incidents of drug crime, fraud, and gambling networks. In Indonesia, gambling is illegal. Although cases have decreased in the last two years overall, the presence of foreign criminals in Bali at all is a concern to leaders.
Governor Koster continued, “Bali’s challenges as a global tourist destination are increasingly apparent with the increasing number of drug networks, prostitution cases, and the presence of a Russian gang kidnapping a Ukrainian national in Bali.”
He explained, “Therefore, I would like to thank the Bali Police Chief for this morning’s event. We must have a shared understanding and build awareness together to overcome the challenges and threats we are facing, so that Bali, in the eyes of the world or people visiting Bali, feels safe and comfortable, while also providing prosperity for the community.”
He also confirmed funding changes that should indirectly help the Bali Police conduct their work more effectively across the province. Governor Koster confirmed that he is aware of the traffic congestion issues caused by the increasing number of vehicles on the roads.
He confirmed that he has communicated with relevant ministers in the central government, and this year, Bali will receive approximately IDR 1.5 trillion in road infrastructure development assistance through the state budget.
Regarding waste management issues, Governor Koster expressed his appreciation to the Bali Regional Police and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) for cleaning up trash along the coast, as instructed by President Prabowo Subianto.
Here at The Bali Sun, we keep a close eye on safety in Bali from every angle. From the rise of scams to the threats posed by natural disasters and extreme weather, through to official updates from all levels of government in Indonesia, as well as our own experience of living in Bali and feedback from tourists and travellers in real time.
The Bali Traveler Safety Index is currently reading 82, which is stable. The highest number of reports of safety issues in Bali are around scams, and there are many ways that tourists can help mitigate the risk of being caught out by scammers.
As Bali looks to increase safety across the island for both tourists and local communities, it is likely that there will be an increased police presence in top resort areas, including nightlife areas like Uluwatu, Canggu, and Seminyak.
Tourists are advised to read up about the basics of Indonesian law before traveling to Bali. The country has a zero tolerance approach to drugs, gambling, and sex work, and immigration is becoming increasingly vigilant to foreigners breaking the conditions of their visas and stay permits in any way.
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Exp
Friday 27th of February 2026
Around a quarter of Denpasar population are muslims, and growing. So how will that affect the policies in the tourist zones in the future?
made
Saturday 28th of February 2026
@Exp, Tourism numbers remain the same. Indonesian citizens have many different religions as do the tourists.
Randy
Saturday 28th of February 2026
@Exp, what’s to you?? What policies in tourist zones?? There has never been any problem in the past. You are clearly insinuating intolerance. People like YOU who come to Indonesia and see that assimilation and tolerance is a threat. If UNITY is a threat to you here then by all means please stay in your damn country. There is a town in Australia just for that and Pauline is raving about it. You damn know what the hell I am speaking about.
There should be a moral character before they let people like you and reside in Indonesia. To be precise “Aliens“ like you who does not believe in assimilation and tolerance. But yet will be happy to speak out toward the locals “don’t bite the hand that feeds you” because things are just not what they anticipate to be in Bali or in Indonesia for that matter. Therefore being intolerant and disrespectful to the local customs is no big deal because Tourism is important for Bali.
Randy
Friday 27th of February 2026
Here is a clear example of an intolerant foreign Caucasian tourist that short herself on the foot. That Kiwi “Karen” woman who went on a rampage in a Muslim prayer room on Gili Trawangan was found to have overstayed her visa in Indonesia. It was discovered after immigration officers and the Criminal Investigation Unit of the North Lombok Police conducted an investigation following the incident on the evening of February 18, 2026. She brought attention to herself by exercising intolerance while being an illegal in Indonesia. So classic...
Anyway, why don’t the local immigration adopt an aggressive approach like in Singapore. They can nab undesirable visitors with immigration irregularities in the past, or on red notice or having passports that have less than 6 months validity left before they can cross that invisible line. The Airlines could also be responsible for not paying close attention to each passport and their travel destination regulations. A visa is a privilege and not a right. Therefore those who work illegally on a tourist visa clearly know what they are getting themselves into. No sympathy there...
Steve bmi
Friday 27th of February 2026
Lokals in illegal activity
Randy
Saturday 28th of February 2026
@Steve bmi, without foreign syndicates, the local criminal activities cannot thrive.