A beautiful Indonesian island popular with tourists from around the globe has issued a series of warnings to badly-behaved foreigners. Following his re-election, Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, has revealed seven things visitors won’t be able to do, in a bid to tackle clashes between the island’s culture and environment and visitors from abroad.
The new guidelines are aimed to reassuring locals that action is being taken to curb misbehaviour by the millions of foreigners that descend upon the tropical island each year, while endeavouring not to drive away its booming tourist trade, which made up 61% of its GDP in 2019 and has seen strong post-pandemic recovery.
Speaking to local media after unveiling his new “regulations for foreign tourists during their stay in Bali”, Mr Koster said the rules reflected “the dynamics that have occurred over the past one-and-a-half years”. “This is not just an appeal but will be enforced through integrated supervision involving the Civil Service Police Unit and tourism institutions in Bali,” he added. “Foreign tourists who are naughty will be immediately dealt with firmly.”
Earlier this year, footage emerged of a tourist being wheeled on a trolley through the province’s streets with his wrists and ankles bound. Reports suggested that the “drunk foreigner” had “caused chaos” in a sports bar, including “hitting people”.
Five Australian tourists were also caught fighting 15 security staff at a beach club in the North Kuta district, after a man was kicked out for allegedly harrassing a woman inside the venue. Bali police said the individual had already been given a warning for anti-social behaviour.
The seven rules for tourists visiting Bali were designed to encourage a “sincere respect [of] the customs, traditions, arts and culture” of the island, the governor said, “as well as the local wisdom of the Balinese people in the ongoing ceremonies and ritual processions”.
- No entering sacred areas except for prayer purposes while wearing traditional Balinese attire.
- No climbing sacred trees or behaving disrespectfully in sacred places.
- No littering or polluting Bali’s environment.
- No using single-use plastics including straws and bags.
- No using offensive language, behaving aggressively or spreading hate speech online.
- No working or running a business without the proper permits.
- No engaging in illegal activities, including trading drugs, endangered animals and cultural artifacts.
While it is unclear precisely what action will meet foreigners who fall short of the new rules, Bali law enforcers have been instructed to keep a strict eye on visitor behaviour during the summer season, with the general public also urged to report violations on the police force’s WhatsApp hotline.
