Bali’s tourism police have unveiled plans to begin approaching foreigners at holiday hotspots in an effort to drive up the number of visitors shelling out for a new tourism tax.
The Indonesian island, long one of Australia’s favourite travel destinations, introduced a new Foreign Tourist Levy on Valentines Day this year, with funds raised aimed to protect their culture and environment, build infrastructure and improve safety.
Over the past month, anyone visiting Bali has been expected to cough up 150,000 IDR, about $15 AUD, but so far only 40 per cent have made the payment, according to the Bali Provincial tourism Office.
Pre-pandemic, Bali saw more than 16 million international visitors in 2019, meaning the province could add about $240 million dollars more to it’s tourism revenue annually.
To boost compliance, tourism Office head Tjok Bagus Pemayun announced this week…