Australians heading to Bali will have to fork over a $15 entry fee from tomorrow when the Indonesian province activates its “tourist tax”.
All foreign nationals who travel to Bali will have to pay an additional fee of 150,000 rupiah (about $15) before they’re allowed to enter, from Wednesday, February 14.
The tax will not apply to visitors to other Indonesian provinces – but should a tourist leave Bali and try to re-enter, they will have to pay the fee again.
“However, this tax does not extend to travellers visiting the nearby Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan, as they are part of the Bali Province,” a post on the government-linked Bali.com website reads.
People are able to pay pre-emptively online, providing their passport number and date of arrival.
Visitors will also be able to pay at the airport on arrival, with the government pledging more than 20 officers to handle queues.
“Given that more than 15,000 travellers can arrive to Bali every day, it is extremely important to ensure that the process is fast and efficient,” Bali.com said.
That means Bali is set to make up to $225,000 each day from tourists, and millions every year.
In 2019 a total of 6.3 million tourists visited the island from around the world.
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The money has initially been earmarked for environmental and cultural projects, but whoever is elected governor of Bali – during Indonesia’s national elections which also take place tomorrow – may elect to redirect it.
About 260,000 Australians visit Bali every year, making it our most popular tourist destination.
