The idea of imposing a 'Cultural Tax' on visitors coming to Bali seems to be gaining momentum as Governor Koster delivered a draft Regional Regulation on Tourist Contributions for the Natural and Cultural Conservation of Bali at the most recent Regional People's Legislative Assembly (DPRD) plenary meeting in Bali before the Christmas and New Year holidays.

At the beginning of December, Gapura Bali reported Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, was working on plans to charge visitors coming to tourism destinations across Indonesia, including Bali, a waste management tax in 2019. In addition to which, Koster was also planning to charge an additional tax on visitors specifically to preserve Balinese customs and culture.

Koster told leaders and members of the Bali Provincial DPRD at the most recent plenary session, the imposition of tourist contributions has specific objectives including preserving nature and the environment, preserving customs, traditions, arts and cultural facilities as well as improving the quality of tourism services and operations.

Empowering Communities

Antara News are reporting that these contributions are expected to empower indigenous villages and help build art and cultural facilities.

Koster explained that empowerment and preservation of traditional villages was aimed at improving the quality of life for village communities, which are based on traditional teachings and values as well as preserving Balinese culture.   

According to local reports foreign tourists will be charged a fee USD 10 per person and domestic tourists IDR 25,000 per person. If both the waste management tax and cultural tax are imposed it could mean an additional USD 20 on transportation and/or lodging prices for foreign visitors.

Does Bali Need Re-Branding?

The idea of taxing visitors to destinations is not new but it is something Anrdzej Barski, Principal of Harcourts Seven Stones believes governments should be more thoughtful of.  "Charging visitors shouldn't just be a way to increase tax revenues," he told WILLIAMS MEDIA, "because if it is just about making more money and this is how it's perceived, there's a great danger visitors will look to other places; and there are a lot of choices out there."

"But if revenues generated are transparently used for the reasons the governor has outlined, and local communities genuinely benefit," Barski added, "this could be a great opportunity for Bali to Re-Brand itself. Right now Bali's brand identity is confusing. It's also good timing because there's a growing global movement in the tourism industry that's encouraging genuine experiential travel and community-based, eco-friendly initiatives are key to this."

What is Bali's Why?

Justin Dallas, from The Dallas Group, agrees. "It's about time Bali Re-Branded itself. I don't think anyone knows what Bali's 'why' is any more. If Bali wants to welcome record numbers of tourists next year things have to change. The big question is what has to change? Expecting tourists to put more money in a bigger pot doesn't really do this in my opinion. Maybe it should be about creating more opportunities to contribute and assist with environmental and community sustainability by developing better communication between domestic and international stakeholders. I think tourists and expat residents alike would be happy to contribute if they were made to feel they were a genuine part of a better future."

Source: Antara News, Gesuri, Tribun News, Gapura Bali, Times Indonesia

This article was previously published on Gapura Bali

Similar to this:

Plans afoot to charge tourists for waste management

Tourism 2020: Quality over Quantity

Is Bali's political will turning green?