BALI, recently ranked as the second most sought after travel destination, is currently mulling a higher departure tax for tourists to improve the quality of the island’s tourism.
With this, Bali leaders have looked to Bhutan’s tourism model charging international tourists US$100 (approximately RM441) per day as part of the country’s Sustainable Development Fee. Foreign travellers in Bhutan are also required to apply for a US$40 (RM176) travel visa allowing up to a 90-day stay, according to the The Bali Sun.
Bhutan’s stringent tourism model was designed to look out for the nation’s interest in preserving its cultural and natural landscape while promoting its heritage to a small demographic of highly-invested travellers.
ALSO READ: Overtourism: Japan considers hiking international tourist tax to RM148 from RM29
In February 2024, the island imposed a mandatory tourist fee of 150,000 rupiah (approximately RM40) as part of the Bali Tourism Tax Levy however the island’s government is looking to change its mind after recent reports indicate less than 40% of international tourists pay the fee, citing poor enforcement and lack of communication of the policy.
Following the discovery, the Indonesian Ombudsman confirmed the lack of fee payments, due to alleged mismanagement within the country’s tourism sector will be probed, focusing on the Bali Tourism Tax Levy.
ALSO READ: Thailand pushes for RM39 tourist tax to curb overtourism
The Head of the Bali Marginal Tourism Alliance, Puspa Negara, expressed his support for Bhutan’s tourism model, including the Sustainable Development Fee, calling for more policies that could enhance the quality of Bali’s tourism industry.
In 2023, Bali’s Governor Wayan Koster proposed a tourism quota to help control the number of international arrivals allowed on the island every year however the quota was never formally implemented.
