The Bali government has decided to impose a tourist levy of Rp150 thousand (around US$9.59) on foreign tourists entering the province, starting February 14, 2024.
"(The letter was sent to) Indonesian ambassadors across the world, signed by Bali governor," head of the Tourism Office of Bali, Cokorda Bagus Pemayun, said here on Thursday.
In addition to sending the official letter, the government also held a virtual meeting with the embassies regarding the policy, which is the first to be implemented in Indonesia.
This step, he said, has been taken to boost the dissemination of information to foreign nationals so that they can get clear information on the levy.
During the trial period of the levy from February 7 to 13, a total of Rp2.2 billion (around US$140,935) has been collected from 14,131 payments.
Pemayun stated that the levy policy will continue to be evaluated to improve the systems related to the scanning of barcode-based payment receipts, among other things.
According to him, the scans are being carried out at international arrival terminals, including at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
The scans can also be carried out at the last location visited by the tourists, such as a hotel or tourist attraction.
The payments can be made through the Love Bali system via the lovebali.baliprov.go.id webpage or the Love Bali application, among other modes.
Seven categories of tourists are exempt from paying the levy, including foreign tourists holding diplomatic and official visas, crew members of transportation vehicles, and holders of temporary or permanent stay permit cards.
They further include holders of family unification visas, student visas, Golden visas, and other visas, such as business visas.
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Translator: Dewa Ketut, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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