According to reporting from Tempo, Bali’s Provincial Government ran a trial of the new Foreign Tourist Tax (PWA) program from February 7 and has generated a revenue of IDR 1.4-billion from the arrival of more than 9,000-foreign tourists.
The PWA program will begin on Wednesday (14/2/24) meaning that foreign tourists traveling to Bali will be subject to the new tourism levy of USD 10, around IDR 150,000.
Acting Bali Governor Sang Made Mahendra Jaya said that the levy was introduced to safeguard the region’s rich culture and natural environment. “This year, we will focus the funds from the levy mainly on waste management and cultural preservation,” he said.
Tempo reports that the tourism tax applies to all visitors to mainland Bali and the surrounding islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan. Foreigners arriving on the island from other Indonesian regions via domestic flights or land transportation are also required to pay the tourist tax. Children are not exempt from the tax.
In addition, the tax is charged per entry. This means that island hoppers planning a day trip (or longer) to nearby destinations outside of Bali, such as Lombok and Flores, will have to pay an additional IDR 150,000 levy on their return, say Tempo.
This payment can be made directly at various entry points to Bali, including I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport and Benoa Harbor, or via the Love Bali app.
As previously reported by Tempo, Bali’s new tourist tax was introduced in July 2023 to preserve the island’s culture, curb the adverse effects of mass tourism, and generate additional funds as the province is heavily dependent on tourism.
Source: Tempo
Stock photo by Julian Vinci on Unsplash
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