Indonesia continues tough stance on unruly tourist behaviour in Bali

The Indonesian government continues to uphold its hard-line approach against unruly and illegal behaviour on the part of foreign tourists in Bali.

According to coordinating maritime affairs and investment minister Luhut Pandjaitan, this tough stance against violators is meant to preserve Bali’s unique culture and to uplift the local tourism sector through a zero-tolerance approach against drug use, public nudity, and open drunkenness.

The minister added that misbehaviour on the part of foreign tourists has caused a great deal of unease and anger among locals.

Despite stricter laws and the imposition of a US$10 cultural preservation tax, Bali attracted around 3.89 million tourists in the first half of this year. Island officials also deployed a specialised police unit to assist travellers.

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Balinese officials began implementing stricter laws on public behaviour last year in light of numerous incidents of indecent exposure and blatant disrespect for local customs on the part of foreigners.

As of August 2024, the regional office of Indonesia’s Ministry of Law and Human Rights reported that 157 foreign nationals were sent away from the island. At the same time, an additional 194 individuals were held in the island’s immigration detention centre to await deportation.

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.

This prompted immigration director-general Silmy Karim to say: “The increasing mobility of foreigners must be aligned with greater vigilance towards their activities.”

The majority of those breaching conditions of stay in Bali were from Australia, China, Nigeria, and Russia.