Changes To The Way Travelers Pay Bali’s Tourism Tax Could Still Come Into Effect

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It has been nearly a week since Bali’s new tourism tax came into effect.

The new policy requires all international tourists to the province to pay a mandatory IDR 150,000 tourism levy.

Although the first few days have been smooth, leaders say more changes could be on their way. 

Originally, leaders said that they wanted tourists to all pay their tourism tax before arriving in Bali. Tourists are able to pay their fees via the Love Bali website or app.

The process is pretty straightforward and simple, and only requires tourists to enter their personal details, travel details and proceed to payment.

They are then sent a QR-code voucher that they can show to inspectors on arrival at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. 

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It is also possible for tourists to pay their fee on arrival at Bali Airport, should they be unable to do so online prior to touchdown.

There is a dedicated tourism tax payment counter in the arrivals hall at Bali Airport. However, officials wanted this to be something of a failsafe since this payment cannot be processed at the same time as the visa-on-arrival payment.

The tourism tax funds are being collected by the provincial government to be spent by the provincial government.

The visa-on-arrival fees are collected by the central government’s Department of Immigration and pooled with fees gathered and funds generated by immigration services across Indonesia. 

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Paying on arrival at Bali Airport is equally straightforward. A simple contactless or chip-and-pin card payment can be made at the counter before proceeding to the immigration line. 

Tourists can also pay for their tourism tax via their travel agent, hotel, or resort, provided that they are staying at an accommodation registered with the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association for Bali. 

So far, so good; straightforward enough. Right? With plenty of ways to dodge the queues, the whole process should remain as simple as that.

Not quite; the stumbling block officials at Bali Airport are now experiencing is that queues are forming for tourists who have followed all the right steps but need to have their QR-code scanned before proceeding to start their vacation. 

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Last week, the Head of the Ball Tourism Office, Tjok Bagus Penayun, revealed that there are just seven scanning devices to process, verify, and log tourism tax vouchers.

In the height of the high season, Bali Airport can welcome upwards of 60,000 passengers a day, the vast majority of whom are foreigners who are required to pay the tourism tax.

Even though Bali is in the low season now and welcoming far fewer daily visitors, seven handheld scanners are not sufficient. 

Pemayun has revealed that plans are underway to rectify this before it becomes a major problem; all options are on the table, it seems.

Pemayun told reporters, “At first we wanted to install a gate scanner, but it wasn’t possible before it would increase the queue.” 

He continued to explain that, at this point, handheld scanners are the best option, especially since the areas used by Indonesian Immigration services cannot be mixed with the spaces used by the provincial authorities for the tourism tax.

Pemayun said, “Initially, we wanted to set up five counters in the customs areas, but along the way, there were regulations and customs that made it impossible to have counters there because that is an area that has to be kept clear.” 

The decision to invest and install static scanning devices is still on the cards, with officials still evaluating what system will work best for both tourists and the airport in the long run.

The system could change again in the coming weeks. But for now, tourists who have paid their fee prior to arrival can expect to have their voucher scanned by an official with a handheld scanner in the arrivals hall.

Those who pay on arrival may also be asked to show their voucher to the scanning staff.

Those who have not paid their tourism tax on or before arrival will be required to process payment when they get to their hotels, either at the hotel itself or by logging into Love Bali.