New Tourist Surveillance Technology Launched In Bali

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By the end of 2026, Bali will have welcomed more than 7.5 million international tourists, in addition to millions more domestic holidaymakers.

With so many people visiting the island, security teams work around the clock to keep everyone safe and are now taking measures to new levels. 

While the vast majority of Bali’s millions of annual visitors abide by the law and respect local customs, police and government leaders on the island want to take surveillance of visitors to new levels. With a specific focus on international travelers and foreigners living on the island, Bali Police have officially just launched a new system called Cakra Foreigner Surveillance, which will be referred to as Cakrawasi.

This website and support command centre at Bali Regional Police Headquarters is a technology-based surveillance system that aims to monitor the presence and activities of foreign nationals in Bali in an integrated way with existing surveillance systems across the province and nationwide. 

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The inauguration event held in Denpasar was attended by the Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, the Chairman of the Bali Provincial DPRD, Dewa Made Mahayadnya, the Head of the Bali Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration, Felucia Sengky Ratna, the Director of PT Paiza Indonesia Maju, and all the main officials of the Bali Regional Police.

Speaking to reporters, Bali Police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya explained that the development of this system was motivated by the increasingly high number of foreign tourist visits to Bali. According to data from the Bali Province Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the official number of international tourist visits in 2025 reached 7.05 million, an increase of approximately 750,000 people, or 12%, compared to 2024.

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Chief Inspector Adityajaya told reporters, “The increased mobility and presence of foreign nationals can also create vulnerabilities, such as security risks and legal violations involving foreign nationals in the Bali region, both as victims and perpetrators.”

He added, “With this system, the risk of illegal activities, misuse, and other legal violations can be minimized and mitigated immediately.”

The full rollout of the Cakra Foreigner Surveillance system comes after the trial that has been in place since December 2025 was deemed a success. The digital platform has been designed to facilitate monitoring and recording both the presence and activities of foreigners quickly, accurately, and while ensuring data confidentiality.

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Chief Inspector Adityajaya explained, “With Cakrawasi, we can track their movements through hotel, lodging, and other similar reports. So, if something seems a bit odd, we can detect it.”

This is essentially a digitalised version of the log books and record-keeping that all accommodation providers in Indonesia have been legally required to keep of their guests for decades. 

Speaking at the launch event, Director of Intelligence and Security (Dirintelkam) of the Bali Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Syahbuddin, explained that by 8th March, Bali Province had already welcomed more than 1 million international arrivals.

The most frequent international arrivals to Bali Province hail from Australia, China, India, South Korea, and Russia, respectively. He noted, “We know that almost 10 to 50% of all foreign tourists in Indonesia visit Bali.”

Adding “Besides being tourists and investors, we know that some foreign nationals are also involved in criminal acts, either as perpetrators or as victims.”

Syahbuddin noted, “The point is to prevent illegal activities and, most importantly, maintain a conducive public order and security, especially a positive tourism climate in Bali.” 

He explained, “The parties who are required to report these foreign nationals are the owners or managers of tourist accommodations, including hotels, villas, homestays, rented houses, boarding houses, hostels, and others.”

For tourists visiting Bali, this new process will make little to no difference to the check-in process. Leaders in Bali have long been implementing ways to monitor tourist behaviour, including the creation of the Bali Tourism Task Force team and the Bali Immigration Task Force team who regularly conduct spot checks on tourists in top destinations and at popular attractions.