Indonesia cracks down on unruly tourists to preserve Bali’s culture and charm

[Hamartia Antidote]

Indonesia’s Bali tightens tourism rules, cracks down on unruly tourists

The island is prioritising quality tourism, welcoming visitors who respect local customs and traditions, and deporting violators.

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The island is prioritising quality tourism, welcoming visitors who respect local customs and traditions, and deporting violators


Indonesia is taking a tough stance on unruly foreign visitors in Bali to preserve the island’s culture and promote quality tourism by cracking down on troublemakers, deporting them in large numbers and insisting illegal activities, such as drug use and nudity, will not be tolerated.
Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said efforts to rein in errant travellers showed the country’s tough stance on violators, and the campaign would not dent the economy of the tourist-dependent tropical paradise.

Luhut said the province would be better off without guests who engage in wrongful activities, behaviours that have also angered the Balinese community.

Last year, Bali officials launched a law enforcement drive following a spate of incidents including indecent exposure and disrespecting local customs.

According to the regional office of the ministry of law and human rights in Bali, 157 foreigners were ejected from the island in the first eight months of the year, while 194 people had been temporarily held at the immigration detention centre awaiting deportation.

Many were found guilty of breaching conditions of stay including from Russia, Nigeria, China and Australia.

“The increasing mobility of foreigners must be aligned with greater vigilance towards their activities,” Immigration Director General Silmy Karim said.

National newswire Antara quoted Luhut as saying on Tuesday that “losing misbehaving tourists was OK, and quality tourists are starting to come back to Indonesia.”

“We’d like to see Bali with a very friendly aura and beautiful culture. … We don’t want to see paddy fields converted to nude clubs or restaurants,” Luhut said at an August tourism conference.

Official data showed that Bali, known for its sandy beaches, attracted 3.89 million tourists from January to July this year, compared to 2.9 million in the same period in 2023.

The tourism board issued an advisory in June urging holidaymakers to “dress appropriately” in religious places, avoid defiling sacred sites, and avoid climbing holy trees.

Bali also deployed the tourism civil service police unit to help visitors and enforce a US$10 tax to preserve its culture and environment.

Last year, a German tourist crashed a dance show at an Ubud temple by walking on stage naked, while a Danish woman was detained for exposing her genital area in public.

A Russian man was also deported last year for sharing a photo of himself half-naked atop a sacred mountain.

Balinese Hindus, who make up nearly 90 per cent of the island’s population, revere its mountains as the dwelling places of gods and ancestors.