Bali issues dos and don’ts list for tourists after spate of shocking scandals
- From naked Germans dancing in temples to a Danish woman exposing herself, Hindu-majority Bali has seen a series of head-shaking headlines recently
- To combat vulgar visitors and their indecent behaviour, the Indonesian island has 12 obligations and eight restrictions to let them know how to act
“[I ask] all parties to seriously understand, implement and socialise this circular letter to all staff and foreign tourists visiting Bali,” Koster told reporters on Wednesday.
“If you can’t [manage foreign tourists], you don’t have to run for the second period [in next year’s elections], that’s all. Don’t just be ambitious but don’t want to do something committed and dedicated,” an angry Koster told his subordinates on Wednesday.
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Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly revealed on Wednesday during a hearing with lawmakers in the House of Representative in Jakarta that 132 foreign tourists had been deported from Indonesia between January-May, adding that he would continue to “deport and blacklist” any unruly visitors. The ministry’s Bali branch deported 194 foreigners last year.
Agung Suryawan Wiryanatha, head of the centre of excellence in tourism at Udayana University in Bali, welcome the circular and urged the island’s authorities to “disseminate them widely in various languages and in the form of leaflets that are easily seen and understood by tourists in both print and electronic media as well as on social media”.
“The Australian embassy has previously issued a similar appeal to Australians visiting Bali,” he said. “But relevant Indonesian government officials must be more assertive and consistent in implementing the rules. Don’t tolerate [unruly tourists] any more, let alone tolerating their bribes.”
He also said he hopes that these recommendations will be codified into local law so violators can be punished.
Azril Azahari, chairman of the Indonesian Tourism Scholars Association, recommended that the guidelines be circulated among international visitors at all ports of arrival before they apply for visas-on-arrival.
“We should also apply these dos and dont’s to all regions of Indonesia, not just Bali,” he said.