Bali’s government instituted a tourism tax last year on Valentine’s Day, and they have already contemplated raising it to $50 or up to $100 to match what Bhutan charges.
However, there is an issue with enforcing that incoming tourists have paid this, as it appears to be entirely voluntary. There are few tables on international arrivals once you have exited customs, but nobody is asking or checking receipts, and the government now wants to outsource this function to airlines.
You can access Visit Bali’s website here.
How is this supposed to work?
Bali’s Government tries to get airlines to remind passengers that they need to have tourism tax paid to enter Bali, but this is NOT enforced upon entry to the island.
Bali will require airlines to check that the levy has been paid BEFORE issuing a boarding pass for an international segment out of the island.
Passengers can check-in online and use the automated gates to enter and exit Indonesia without ever interacting with an airline employee before boarding the plane. T
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Here’s the announcement from the Government of Bali (translated from Bahasa):
The Tourist Levy Voucher will become a Requirement for Boarding Pass Issuance
The Provincial Government of Bali will implement a new policy regarding the Foreign Tourist Levy (PWA), in which the Tourist Levy Voucher, which serves as proof of payment for the foreign tourist levy, will become a requirement for issuing boarding passes for tourists when they are about to leave Bali.
This was announced by the Head of Bali Provincial Tourism Office, Tjok Bagus Pemayun, at his office on Tuesday (February 11). To implement this program, the Provincial Government of Bali will cooperate with several parties, including SITA (Society of IATA Traffic Airliners). SITA currently has 36 airline members worldwide.
Tjok Bagus Pemayun stated that they are currently working on a cooperation agreement with SITA.
“We hope that the MoU with SITA can be signed soon,” said Tjok Bagus.
He mentioned that the cooperation with SITA is aimed at optimizing the PWA. “So, SITA will remind passengers, especially foreign tourists, to comply with the payment of the PWA,” he explained.
“If they can pay before arriving in Bali, that would be great, but if they want to pay after arriving in Bali, that’s also fine. But if they return to their country without paying, they won’t be able to get their boarding pass. They have to pay first. So, the Levy payment voucher will be a requirement for issuing a boarding pass,” he added.
If this is implemented, the PWA can be more optimized. Tjok Bagus revealed that with this collaboration, the optimization of the PWA could reach 95 percent, especially for passengers utilizing SITA.
“With this cooperation, we are confident we can surpass the target. Last year, our target was IDR 250 billion, and the realization was more than IDR 318 billion,” he concluded.
Conclusion
This tax also applies to international visitors to Bali who arrive on domestic flights, but airlines certainly don’t have the capacity to check every departing passenger that they have paid this fee.
Passengers departing Bali for a destination outside of Indonesia will interact with someone working on behalf of the airline at the boarding gate, but do they really have time to start going through documentation about paid fees?
I’m not going to give any ideas for the local government, but the easiest way to collect this would be to have an accommodation tax that could be tied to the nightly rate as a % or fixed fee, like in many other countries or jurisdictions.
The fee is insignificant for anyone traveling to Bali, but having another step to complete is annoying.
I have to say that I do like the new eVoa system and automated gates that have made entering and exiting Indonesia a smooth experience after years of having to pay “bribes” for someone to expediently guide you through the process and long lines.
I spent the last weekend in Jakarta and entered and exited the country through Soekarno–Hatta International Airport (CGK), and the process was smooth. There were many reminders that you don’t need to pay bribes and report anyone who asks for them.
