The Tourism Office reported that only around 40 percent of foreign tourists who came to Bali paid the Tourism Levy.
Head of the Tourism Marketing Division of the Bali Provincial Tourism Office, Ida Ayu Indah Yustikarini, explained that the application of the Tourism Levy, which is still low in payment, does not mean that there is a leak. She underscored that Tourism Levy is still a new policy that might need more intensive socialisation.
“Many foreign tourists from various countries don’t know [about Tourism Levy] yet. So, our outreach must be increased further,” Yustikarini told the press on Thursday, the 21st of March.
Yustikarini acknowledged that the amount of the Tourism Levy received through the counter at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali has been very small thus far, with approximately 90 percent of foreign tourists visiting Bali choosing to pay the Tourism Levy online. However, because of their lack of knowledge regarding the Tourism Levy policy, most of the tourists have not paid their respective dues.
Apart from conducting outreach, the Head of the Bali Tourism Office, Tjok Bagus Pemayun, emphasised that he would carry out inspections on the payment of the Tourism Levy beginning on the 26th of March. This inspection aims to check whether the visiting tourists in Bali have or have not paid the fees. If the latter is the case, the tourist in question would be given a warning and directed to pay the Tourism Levy.
This inspection is scheduled to be held at four tourist attractions: Uluwatu in Badung, Tanah Lot and Ulun Danu Beratan in Tabanan, and Tampaksiring in Gianyar. Pemayun added that these inspections are to be carried out at the entrance and exit of the tourist attractions so that they would not interfere with tourist activities.
“Monitoring will be carried out at least twice a week. The complete schedule will follow,” Pemayun asserted.
Based on the recent evaluation results, only 40 percent of visiting foreign tourists in Bali have paid the Tourism Levy since the policy was officially implemented on the 14th of February this year.
“Since the foreign tourist levy was implemented, on a daily basis, [only] an average of 5,000 foreign tourists [who are visiting Bali] have paid it,” Pemayun confirmed.
The tourism influx to Bali, however, remains on an upward trajectory, evident in the robust numbers recorded at Ngurah Rai Airport in February 2024. With 1,751,427 passengers, including 1,002,390 international travellers arriving on 5,520 flights, Bali continues to attract a diverse range of visitors. Notably, major air routes from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Perth contributed significantly to this surge.
As of the 18th of March, in total, 219,466 people have paid the Tourism Levy, with a nominal amount received by the Bali Provincial Government of Rp32,919,900,000.
Source: indonesiaexpat.id