Bali May Introduce Tourism Tax for Visitors

Some destinations that see high numbers of international visitors have chosen to take measures to control the flow and to support tourism infrastructure. As such, some cities like Tokyo and Venice implemented their own versions of tourism taxes, or taxes visitors must pay at the airport or as part of airfare when visiting certain locations.

Bali, an overwhelmingly popular island destination in Indonesia, is the latest spot to plan such a tax with an announcement of an impending $10 tourism fee for visitors. The proceeds from this tax will go toward restoring and preserving the island’s environment and culture, keeping the destination in shape for the influx of visitors, which doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. (In 2018 alone, Bali welcomed 6 million visitors.) With such a purpose for this tax, government officials are confident visitors will have no objections to paying a little extra to visit Bali.

The $10 tourism tax will apply to international visitors only, and the method of collection has not yet been ironed out. It will either be added to airfare when travelers book flights to Bali or it will be collected at the airport when passengers arrive.

While the introduction date also still remains uncertain at this time, the projected 18.2 million visitors that plan to visit Bali in 2020 should count the tax as part of their travel budget.