This beautiful destination often sits highly on many British tourists’ bucket lists, welcoming some 300,000 every year alongside those from Australia, India and China. Until now, travel to Bali has been relatively straightforward, requiring visitors to have a passport valid for a minimum of six months, a completed All Indonesia Travel Card and a payment of £7.42 to the Bali Tourism Levy.
However, this may soon change, as officials on the Indonesian island are considering a new regulation that could require foreign visitors to submit certain documentation prior to their trip. As part of far-reaching plans to restructure tourism in Bali, officials have proposed a so-called « Regional Regulation on the Implementation of Quality Tourism« . These new rules would require tourists to provide evidence of their financial means for the trip, such as a review of their bank records for the previous three months.
The new rules would take into account how long the holidaymaker plans to stay in Bali, as well as what they plan to do during their visit. Visitors would also need a confirmed return ticket to ensure their trip is only for the short term, according to Travel and Tour World.
The proposals come as the South-east Asian island has suffered from tourists overstaying or running out of funds during their visit.
The proposal has been drafted by the Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, and has already been presented to Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy. The next step will involve proposal reviews by the Bali Regional House of Representatives. Once approved, it could be in effect within a year.
This proposal comes in response to the revelation last summer that mass tourism has « ruined » Bali. Once heralded for its stunning natural beauty, the island appears to have fallen victim to overtourism and recent times, becoming crowded and dirty.
However, last year, a TropEcoTravel contributor said mass tourism, which « has ruined the true heart and soul of Bali », adding: « I don’t know what Bali was like before the onslaught of tourists and plastic, but I would imagine it was a tropical haven with thriving locals and untouched landscapes. »
In 2024, Fodor’s Magazine labelled Bali the top destination to avoid, and said of its tourist-heavy hotspots: « These locations are popular for good reason – they are stunning, intriguing, and culturally significant. However, some of these highly coveted tourist spots are collapsing under the burden of their own prominence. »
In that year, Bali welcomed 16.4 million international and domestic tourists – a 7.9% increase compared to 2023.
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