Big Changes On The Horizon For Bali’s Tourism Tax System

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The Bali Tourism Tax Levy has been in effect since 14 February 2024. Despite over 4.5 million international tourists visiting the province in the year to date, the vast majority have not paid their fees.

The IDR 150,000 fee applies to all international tourists, short-stay business visitors, and socio-cultural visitors to the province. 

With figures showing that upwards of 60% of tourists have been failing to pay their Bali Tourism Tax levy, leaders have been seeking new ways that both make payment easier, and implement sanctions for failure to pay.

Many have noted that with no criminal implication for not paying, there is little incentive other than a moral obligation to pay the fee.

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In early September, the Acting Governor of Bali, Sang Made Mahendra Jaya, confirmed that he would be introducing criminal sanctions for those who are caught failing to pay the fee.

The Bali Tourism Tax Levy has been introduced to help tackle the negative implications of over-tourism and rapid tourism development on the island.

Funds are set to be used to protect nature, preserve local culture, and help fund infrastructural developments that will benefit both local residents and tourists. 

Acting Governor Jaya explained, “If there are no sanctions, no, we can’t do anything if they don’t pay. In the future, there will be sanctions with a minimum penalty of ten times (the tourism tax fee) or a week of imprisonment; they must pay.”

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One of the biggest reasons tourists have noted for not paying their fees is that it has been hard to do so.

While there is a counter at the arrivals hall of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, it is very easy to miss, and with many travelers rushing to beat the queue at the visa payment counters, immigration counters, and autogates, it’s been easy to walk straight by the payment point. 

Furthermore, the LoveBali website and app, the dedicated platform for making Bali Tourism Tax Levy payments online, has been noted to be unreliable.

Not only does the platform not work with a VPN or ad-blocker running on the browser, but page requests regularly time out, and the site often displays error messages. 

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Leaders have confirmed that they will be making it easier for tourists already in Bali to pay their Bali Tourism Tax Levy through their accommodation providers.

Many feel that it makes sense for tourists to make their payment via their hotel, resort, guesthouse, B&B, hostel, or villa. In statements issued this week, Acting Governor Jaya said he wants hotels to be a portal for guests to make their payments should they not have done so prior to their arrival in the province.

Bali leaders still want tourists to make payment prior to arrival where possible. 

Acting Governor Jaya has not given a specific date for when hotels and resorts will be able to start collecting the Bali Tourism Tax Levy, and it will take some time to coordinate the new operation.

For now, tourists must continue to make payments at the airport, via LoveBali, or via their travel agent should such a service be offered. 

Acting Governor Jaya has been empathic about the amount of arrival admin tourists must complete before they’re even able to leave Bali Airport, which is why he wants to make it easier for tourists to pay via their accommodation provider.

He told reporters in September, “The travel time for overseas flights is [on average] five to six hours; how many hours have they spent in the VoA queue, then immigration, then customs, now the Bali Tourism Office? How many hours do they have to queue at the airport?”

He has reiterated that the Bali Tourism Tax Levy cannot be integrated into the visa-on-arrival payment systems for a number of reasons.

Firstly, since the tax is a regional fee and is received by the Bali Provincial government, and the cost of visas is recited by the national government agencies, and secondly, because it would take too much time.

The Director General of Immigration is on a dedicated mission to reduce the immigration arrivals process for tourists, and this week inaugurated the new autogates at Bali Airport, which allow travelers to complete the immigration arrivals process in just 15-20 seconds.