Last Updated: April 14, 2023, 3:47 PM IST
Visitors wait for the sunset at Kuta beach, on Indonesia resort island of Bali on January 8, 2022. (AFP)
Tourists not only pose naked for social media photos at sacred sites but also indulge in rash driving or driving without a helmet or a licence
Indonesia is considering imposing a tax on tourists following a series of controversial incidents involving badly behaved foreigners violating laws and local customs.
Sandiaga Uno, the tourism and creative economy minister, said the government was studying the possibility of a tourism tax at the moment, a report in The Guardian said.
“We expect the study to wrap up in the coming weeks so we can discuss and decide (the issue),” he said.
The move to impose the new tax comes as the residents have grown increasingly frustrated over disrespectful and unlawful behaviour by the tourists.
The report said that tourists not only pose naked for social media photos at sacred sites but also indulge in rash driving or driving without a helmet or a licence.
Earlier this month, a Russian tourist was deported from Bali after posting a photograph of himself half-naked atop Mount Agung, Bali’s highest peak, which Hindus on the island believe to be home to their gods.
The business groups fear that the tax would deter people from visiting the country and would damage the tourism sector at a time when it is still recovering from the pandemic.
However, the move has received the support from a section including a minister who has called for the tax to be levied to check such instances of bad behaviour.
Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan called for the new tax to be imposed soon to show the foreign tourists that the country upholds cultural values.
“Don’t ever sell Indonesia short. We need to show them (foreign tourists) that we are a nation that greatly upholds cultural values, tradition and rules,” Luhut Pandjaitan said on Instagram.
The Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister further said that Bali was one of the world’s cheapest tourist destinations and therefore it has “encouraged many low-income foreign visitors to come to Bali, leading to a rise in unruly behaviour.”
Lahut also cited a video where a tourist, who was stopped by police for driving a motorbike without a helmet, shouted at officers, accusing them of trying to steal money.
Bali is a famous tourist destination and is widely popular for its surfing spots, emerald green rice terraces and nightlife. The island drew 6.2 million foreign visitors a year before Covid pandemic and tourism was estimated to contribute about 60 percent of the island’s economy.
Read all the Latest News here
