Bali’s Tourism tax Levy may be a legal requirement for all international tourists visiting the island, but despite being in effect for over 18 months, surprisingly few tourists are making the payment.
The IDR 150,000 must be paid by all international tourists prior to their departure from the island.
Since the policy’s launch in February 2024, leaders have been concerned that tourists are simply not aware that they are obliged to pay the fee. Those who are aware that the fee must be made have little incentive to do so, since there are no fines or legal ramifications for not paying.
Finally, whether tourists are aware of the policy prior to arrival or not, many leaders feel that making the payment is not simple enough for tourists. Leaders are working on fresh plans to make it easier than ever for tourists to pay the fee.
At present, tourists have one of two main options. It is possible to make the IDR 150,000 per person payment via a card payment upon arrival at the international and domestic arrivals terminals at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
However, many tourists walk straight past the counter as they are focused on navigating immigration queues, getting through to baggage claim, and thinking ahead to the hustle and bustle of the pick-up area.
The second option is to pay via the LoveBali website or app. While the website is managed by the Bali Provincial Government, the payment portal is not widely advertised, and as such, many tourists don’t yet know that it exists.
With leaders concerned that the policy is not generating anywhere near the amount of funds it was projected to achieve, new plans are being made to make it easier for tourists to make their payments and for the government to hit tax revenue targets.
Leaders at the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (Asita) are calling on local travel agencies and tour operators to work with the Bali Provincial Government to act as payment portals for tourists.
The Chairman of the Bali Association of Indonesian Travel Agencies (Asita) DPD, I Putu Winastra, told reporters that 354 travel agents are registered with the association, and all of them are expected to register to be part of the program.
Winastra shared, “There are 354, and we hope they will all join, because the government’s goal is good for Bali’s natural environment, so it must be fully supported.” In the first year of the policy, the final figures showed that only 32% of international visitors made the payment.
Winastra told reporters that ASITA is acting on the request of Bali Governor Wayan Koster to ensure that more tourists pay up. He shared, “After the outreach with the governor, we immediately distributed the link they should use to register. So, we’re working hand in hand with the government to support this program.”
Travel agents and tour operators who sign up to be Tourism Tax Payment Points will be given a 3% commission on each IDR 150,000 payment they process.
Winastra added, “Actually, if we talk about the benefits from a company perspective, there aren’t many, but we hope to get more agents to join because it also provides added value to our colleagues.”
He confirmed that ASITA has designed a payment collection workflow, where registered business actors will receive a QR code from the system designed by the Bali Communications and Information Service.
Businesses acting as Tourism Tax Payment Points will also be expected to help communicate and socialise the Bali Tourism Tax Levy Policy to tourists.
The Head of the Bali Tourism Office, Wayan Sumarajaya, spoke separately with reporters about the new plans.
He confirmed that the Bali Tourism Office is also going one step further and is planning on working with hotels, villas, cruise operators, and tourism attraction managers to also become Tourism Tax Payment Points in the near future.
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