Tourism officials in Bali have confirmed that from now on Tourism Task Force Officers will be conducting spot checks on tourists twice monthly at top attractions.
The spot checks will require tourists to show proof that they have paid their Tourism Tax Levy and present their QR-code for scanning.
The news comes as the high season gets into full flow in Bali. With hundreds of thousands more tourists set to arrive by the end of this month, and through until the end of August, top tourism officials in Bali want to ensure that everyone is obeying the rules and paying their fees.
The Bali Tourism Tax Levy was invoiced on the 14th February 2024, and while over USD 7.1 million has been generated for the Bali Provincial Government so far, the amount of funds gathered is actually only a small fraction of what officials anticipated would be in the pot by now.
This is because in the first two months of the Bali Tourism Tax Levy policy being fully enacted, upwards of 60% of eligible international tourists failed to make payments.
Officials believe that a combination of issues was at play, including the fact that the new policy could have been better communicated to tourists both when planning their visits and on arrival in Bali, as well as issues with the online payment portal and insufficient payment counters at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
Only around 40% of tourists paid their IDR 150,000 mandatory tourist tax contribution, so the Bali Tourism Office worked with the Tourism Task Force Team and the Bali Tourism Satpol PP teams to conduct spot checks on tourists as they entered top attractions in April and May.
The teams were stationed at the entrances and exits of some of Bali’s most famous cultural attractions, and tourists were stopped for a little chat.
Those who had already paid had their QR codes scanned, but those who had not yet paid their dues were required to pay the IDR 150,000 on the spot and were issued with a voucher, too.
While the Bali Tourism Tax Levy has been written into provincial law, and therefore, it is a legal requirement for all eligible international tourists to make their contribution, there has not yet been any information regarding the consequences if tourists fail to pay.
At present, those who are caught are simply supported in making the payment.
In late April and May, spot checks were conducted at cultural attractions like the GWK Cultural Park in Uluwatu, Uluwatu Temple, Goa Gajah Temple just outside of Ubud, Tirta Empul Temple close to Ubud, Tanah Lot Temple and Ulun Danu Beratan both in Tabanan Regency.
The Head of the Bali Tourism Office, Tjok Bagus Pemayun, told reporters the spot checks, which had initially been a temporary effort, will be conducted at least twice a month for the foreseeable future.
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 in.”
He called on tourists to make sure that they have paid their Bali Tourism Tax Levy and encouraged tourism stakeholders to all play a role in better socialising and communicating the policy to tourists preparing to visit Bali and who are already on the island.
Pemayun added, “We continue to carry out outreach all the time, and whenever we have the opportunity, I convey about [the tax], which will later be used to preserve Balinese culture and nature.”
Tourists can pay their IDR 150,000 tourism tax fee on arrival at the dedicated counter at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport or on the LoveBali website or app.
Note that the site and app do not work if a VPN is running on the device being used to access the page. The fee also applies to children.
Tourists are advised to save a version of their QR code to their phones and make it available offline (a screenshot will suffice) so it is easy to present to Tourism Task Force Officers or the provincial authorities upon request.
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Jordan
Thursday 20th of June 2024
More corruption and money making. What is this money being used on? The beaches are still a mess, there's trash everywhere. Just lining the inept Government's pockets
Valeria
Wednesday 19th of June 2024
Bye Bye Bali are you trying to create a 5 star resort unfortunately you couldn't run a chook raffle
Exp
Wednesday 19th of June 2024
To all with noble ideas for how to collect the tourist tax: Immigration and Customs are run by central gov. at the airport. Zero chance these agencies will collect money on behalf of Bali gov. A Bali specific tax via flight tickets is equally far fetched.
Shorty
Thursday 20th of June 2024
@Exp, Then think outside the square. Raise the hotel/accommodation tax by 1%. On a Ro1,000,000 a night room that's Rp10,000 - A$1. Bugger all. 15 nights and there's the tax The shortfall from shorter stays or cheaper rooms could be amortized by the more expensive places.
Jens R.
Tuesday 18th of June 2024
We also had been on Bali. Online booking of the tax failed. So when we arrived we asked the airport staff where to pay this tax. The customers etc said all "outside". There was nothing outside. So we didn´t paid because it was impossible. This all is not organized at all....
Steve b
Wednesday 19th of June 2024
@Jens R., there's been a desk outside the whole time but even airport staff didn't know it was there, it's been upgraded since. I'll say it again it should be between visa on arrival and immigration in that massive empty area or as soon as you pass immigration into bag collection right there so can pay it when waiting for bags DUH. There's still many numbnuts going through customs without online declaration, DUH as well
Glark
Tuesday 18th of June 2024
How about motivating tourists to pay the tax by explaining where the proceeds will be spent? And showing concrete results how the tax money has improved Bali so far. The only visible action as of now is more police hired to chase tourists to pay the tax. 7 MUsd in Bali government's coffins now is enough to start the true and visible improvements. Carrot is always better than a stick. A kind suggestion: pls collect the tourism tax in the flying (or ferry) ticket price. Instead of hiring more 'tax police officers'. This would resolve the collection problem and make all our lives easier and less stressful. Hope we'll see tangible improvements done with the money in near future.