Bali, one of Indonesia's top tourist destinations, has introduced a new tourism tax for foreign tourists in order to use the money to protect its traditional culture and nature. There have been a number of nuisance acts by some foreigners on the island, and the local tourism bureau wants to encourage people to respect their culture.
The Indonesian island of Bali is home to beautiful beaches, rice terraces cultivated on mountain slopes, and Hindu temples, which are registered as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
In order to protect this nature and traditional culture and use it as a source of funds to improve tourism services, the Bali provincial government began collecting a tourist tax on foreign tourists from February 14th.
The tourist tax is 150,000 rupiah, or approximately 1,400 yen, and can be paid on a dedicated website or at a counter at the local airport.
A Japanese man who was visiting from Hyogo with his family said, ``I can understand because the amount is not that high.I hope it will be used to improve toilets at tourist spots.''
As Bali recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, 5.27 million people visited last year and in 2023, but there are problems with nuisance behavior such as some foreigners barging naked into dance shows held at Hindu temples. It becomes.
Dayu Indah, who is in charge of tourist taxes for foreigners at the Bali Tourism Board, said, ``If we have enough financial resources, we can spread awareness about the importance of Balinese culture and how to protect our values.This is a new initiative. There have been a variety of reactions, but I would like to encourage people to understand the purpose."