Government Plans Major Reform of Bali Tourism

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan revealed on Friday (8/30) that the government will conduct an audit to overhaul the tourism sector in Bali. This step aims to improve the quality of tourism, preserve culture, and create local jobs. Luhut said on his Instagram page that around 200,000 foreigners currently live in Bali. Their presence has caused a number of problems such as crime, overdevelopment, and competition for jobs. “Foreign tourists who bring problems here, like drugs, gangs, and other problems, we can deport them from Indonesia, from Bali, and we don't want them to enter Bali again,” he said in a video clip. Since one of the country's tourism magnets reopened after COVID, the number of foreign visitors to Bali has skyrocketed. Videos of tourists behaving badly have often gone viral, drawing the ire of locals and a backlash from social media users in Indonesia. Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) shows that in the first half of this year, 2.9 million foreign visitors entered Bali via the airport, accounting for 65 percent of total foreign arrivals by air during the period. Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno said earlier this month that the government wanted …

Beyond Irritation: Bali’s Tourism Scourge – OpEd

eurasiareview.com - 17/Sep 15:56

Like eager lice on a ripe scalp, tourists have become a much-reviled feature of various economies. While cash and contributions come in their wake,...