Jakarta. Less than half of the foreign travelers visiting Bali have paid the tourist levy since the policy came into force last month, according to a minister.

This low compliance rate has caught the government’s attention with Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno saying on Monday that there is a need to further spread the word on the policy. 

Bali has begun charging foreign travelers a Rp 150,000 (about $10) levy. The money collected will go into the provincial government’s environmental and cultural preservation program, including waste management. However, many of Bali’s international visitors are skipping the payment.

“Only 40 percent of foreign tourists have paid the levy since it came into effect on Feb. 14,” Sandiaga told a press briefing in Jakarta.

“We need to work on improving the compliance rate. … Hopefully, we can better enforce this levy on the ground. We should continue to disseminate information related to this foreign tourist levy policy by working with other government bodies, including the Foreign Ministry, airlines, and other tourism industry stakeholders,” Sandiaga said.

Having international tourists pay for preservation efforts is nothing new in Bali. The province previously had a similar policy in place, in which tourists could donate a sum of money to help Bali preserve its nature and culture. But these contributions were voluntary. Under the current policy, foreign tourists can pay the levy online via lovebali.baliprov.go.id. They can also make direct payments at Bali’s international airport or ports.

Bali registered over 5 million foreign tourists in 2023. Indonesia is aiming to attract 14.3 million foreign tourists throughout this year. Bali is expected to make up about 50 percent of that target. According to news agency Antara, Sandiaga said last month that Indonesia could even record 17 million international visitors this year.

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