Not all the foreign tourists who go to Bali are there for the scenery, the peaceful local culture and the surfing. Bali has become a party capital, according to menafn.com, and the Balinese government is clamping down on bad behaviour.
It’s also become a haven for Russian and Ukrainian draft-dodgers and those involved in sanctions-busting activities. According to menafn.com, there has been a rapid influx of Russian and Ukrainian “tourists” visiting the country to evade war-related trade sanctions and conscription. "Because of the Russia-Ukraine war, a lot of people wanting to avoid conscription have come to Asia, including Bali, and they're not really tourists," the Deputy Chair of the Bali Hotel and Restaurant Association, Rai Suryawijaya, told ABC.
During the first five months of this year, over 130 foreign tourists were deported from Bali due to illegal cryptocurrency trading, breach of tourist visa rules, sacrilege at sacred monuments, public indecency, using fake visas and identities and illegally engaging in business.
Bad behaviour, disrespect for the local culture and religion, overstaying visas and breaking visa rules are leading to increasing complaints about foreign tourists from local residents. Some of the complaints are that tourists find themselves employment or run private businesses in the country while on a tourist visa, use cryptocurrency to pay for accommodation and car rentals, and are involved in illegal dealings.
Bali is predominantly Hindu, with many of its citizens practising religious ceremonies and worshipping at sacred natural and man-made monuments. The party culture of many tourists can be at odds with these ceremonies and some situations have resulted in sacrilege at places of worship. Earlier this year, a woman was arrested and deported for posting a nude image of herself hugging a sacred tree on social media. Another woman was deported after a video of her disrupting a traditional dance performance at a temple while nude, was posted on social media and a man was deported for dropping his pants at the holy volcano, Mount Agung.
Governor I Wayan Koster has already proposed the implementation of a mass tourism restriction quota whereby travellers have to register for their trip one year in advance. The government is said to be mulling over the imposition of a tourism tax of up to US$150 (R2777) to remove the perception that Bali is a cheap destination.
Koster also signed off on the creation of a ‘Dos and don’ts’ list, to be distributed to all tourists upon arrival.
This year, over 250 tourists have faced court or other disciplinary action. Because of the misconduct, Bali authorities have created a special “tourism governance” team, which will receive complaints from citizens and discourage use of social media to report these incidents.
Caption: The Governer of Bali, Wayan Koster.
