INDONESIA: Bali Government To Introduce US$10 Tourist Tax For Preservation Of Environment And Local Culture

Three years after a US$25 visa-on-arrival charge was scrapped for most passport holders, visitors to the Indonesian island of Bali will soon be subject to a US$10 tourist tax, which will go towards the preservation of the environment and local culture.

Bali welcomed 5.7 million international travellers in 2017 and that number is expected to top 6 million for 2018.

Speaking outside the Bali Legislative Council building, the governor of the island, Wayan Koster, said: This will give us better fiscal space to support the development of Bali.

Plastic waste is a major issue, particularly during the wet season, when rain and ocean currents wash waves of rubbish onto the island’s beaches.

Last month, Wayan announced a ban on single-use plastic in Bali, with the intention of reducing marine pollution by 70 per cent within a year.

It is not yet known how the US$10 tax will be collected, although it is expected to be included in the cost of an airline ticket, as with Japan’s newly introduced sayonara tax.


Tourism Observer