However, the Balinese people were as welcoming as ever, and the place was still flooded with rowdy tourists.
“If you want to hang out with a drunk Australian, you’ll stay home,” Smith said.
For many outsiders, the image of Bali in the 2010 Julia Roberts blockbuster Eat Pray Love still exists. Bali is still covered with golden sands of deep green paddy fields and turquoise waters. Warm locals still joke with beach bar-loving expats. But it’s not so calm these days.
A little more than a year after Bali reopened to international travel, an increase in unruly tourist behavior has removed some of the magic from the paradise, giving national and local officials a boost. Think of new ways to deal with criminals.
Reckless driving, flashing social media
From the nation’s capital, the recent Supreme Minister advocated Tax foreign tourists entering Indonesia to discourage “low-income” visitors. Promoted by Bali Tourism Board advertising campaign We ask travelers to behave more respectfully. Local authorities recently proposed banning visitors. rental bike To curb reckless driving, CNN reported. Indonesia’s immigration authorities are also busy deporting foreigners who work illegally on tourist visas or violate local laws.
Bali Governor Wayang Koster said at a press conference that he had proposed Cancellation of visa on arrival program For travelers from Russia and Ukraine arrive in large numbers Since the two countries were at war, many people other Country of Citizenship have been involved in recent incident.
immigration officer announced Last week they deported a Russian man who posted a photo on social media of himself wearing pants around his ankles atop Mount Agung, a sacred Hindu site.another russian Banished in late February for working as a photographer in violation of his residence permit.
tourism statistics Bali recorded 22,104 Russian tourists came in January of this year, with 91,254 citizens arriving for island vacations, second only to Australia in total. From November 2022 to January 2023, Russian tourists accounted for 5.6% of the approximately 997,000 foreign tourists who visited Bali, making him the largest number of Russian tourists in January 2020. slightly above 4.8% of
Featured in overseas media reports accident and reckless drive, fight with local government immigration violation, driving topless and obscene exposureforeigners working illegally on tourist visas to teach Balinese dance and meditation; filed a complaint Against the crowing of roosters in the local neighborhood.
The latter incident puzzled Megah Bintaranny, a product manager from Bali. on a rainforest cruise Southeast Asian market.
“How do you complain about that? You can’t control chickens,” said Bintalani.
If a foreigner were staying at a luxury hotel in a tourist area, it would be the same. However, they were staying in a guesthouse in a residential area with a lot of noise from country life, roosters and the like. “When you choose to live in the countryside, you have to embrace it. [local noises]”
Overtourism on the “Party Island”
Bali is an increasingly popular travel destination that is tired of overtourism.Hawaii under consideration invoice Dissolve a government-sponsored tourism marketing agency. Amsterdam is trying to reduce rowdy tourist behavior in its red light districts. Roll out a ban on pot smoking on the streets there, shorten the opening hours of restaurants and brothels, and tighten some alcohol restrictions. Florence and Venice have fined tourists.
Like Hawaii, Amsterdam and Italy, Bali is fed up with tourists who don’t break the law but have little respect for local life.
“We have a lot of tolerance here… but it’s this behavior of ‘I’m the more important person. Look at me,'” he said after moving to Bali from Java nine years ago. Fatmawati, a personal assistant and freelance photographer from Indonesia who has worked in Indonesia (Fatmawati uses only one common name in Indonesian). is tired of it.
Balinese tourism director Tjok Bagus Pemayun said in a written statement to The Washington Post that Balinese culture is a source of well-being for locals and that he sees foreigners neglect it. “Of course they will be angry,” he said. Culture means destroying their lives. ”
When Ravindra Singh Shekawat — Intrepid Travels General Manager of Bali Business — Moved to Bali in February 2022. Since then, tourism has increased significantly. His Intrepid bookings in Indonesia have recovered to his 2019 levels, and in Bali, he said, “definitely very busy.” “There are tourists everywhere.”
He blames ignorance for some of the recent problems. “For many people, Bali is thought of as a party island,” says Shekawat. “That might be one of the reasons why people don’t know much about traditional locals.”
Shekhawat, an expat himself, said an expat who went viral after “getting into a violent altercation” with locals, bypassing traffic for a religious procession, a common occurrence in Bali It is disappointing to see such cases.
“As an outsider, you may have your own opinion, but the opinion of locals should be just as important,” Shekhawat said. “It’s their land, their island, and they should be allowed to follow their culture and traditions as they wish.”
Luxury travel agency owner Justin Smith Evolved TravelerHe acknowledges that Bali has been known for decades as a “bohemian destination” that welcomes foreigners to behave and dress as they please. We believe that visitors often overlook that they expect to dress modestly.
“It was acceptable to some extent, but now it’s gone too far,” Smith said. “There is a complete lack of respect for the destination and Bali is not pushed that far. It means that this bad behavior is pretty widespread.”
Call out illegal workers on Instagram
Bintaranny credits social media with making shocking behavior more frequent. People seem to be pushing boundaries for internet fame. sacred place “Sexy on Instagram,” she said. “It may not be a big deal to them, but to the Balinese… it’s just an insult.”
While social media may amplify each example, Shekhawat believes that the majority of visitors are undisturbed. “Evil behavior is just a drop in the ocean,” agreed Febria Dia Letnoningsi, social, cultural and informational affairs counselor at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Washington, DC.
However, the government does not support visa abuse. dangerous driving“It’s the same as any other country,” Shekhawat said. “You can’t work without a work visa, and there are strict regulations on driving a car.”
“Can you imagine taking jobs away from locals? Nannies?
— Fatmawati, Indonesian personal assistant and freelance photographer
Pemayun said it was important to curb bad behavior, even if the number of criminals is low, to avoid problems “spreading to other tourists” and “damaging the image of Bali tourism in the world”. says.
Bali has a program to welcome remote workers, but the so-called “second home visa” has many requirements, including proof of savings worth about $129,000.The current frustrations are not aimed at such residents, but rather foreign workers fighting with locals for jobs. Instagram account Document the example.What Fatmawati Says Anonymously Causes The Biggest Uproar Among Locals Repost Content from foreigners promoting services, possibly without a proper visa.
Under the satirical guise of supporting local small businesses, (currently suspended) account @moscow_cabang_bali and its backup account Share Public Ads (mostly by Russians, hence the name) sale Swim lessons, haircuts, surf instruction, tattoos, yoga classes, villa rentals.In its profile description people have a link to the website You can report labor law issues with the Indonesian government.
“They brag about it,” Fatmawati said of the ad. “What’s really crazy is that they’re doing jobs like babysitting and renting bikes. Can you imagine taking jobs away from locals? Nannies?
Fatmawati said even in the current situation, tourists to Bali will not encounter any unrest from locals or authorities as long as they do not break basic rules. We are very happy with the resumption of tourism.”
So does Intrepid Travel’s group tours, says Shekawat. Locals “seem to welcome tourists,” Shekhawat said, understanding that travelers “may not act 100% the way they want, but everything has its limits.” are doing.
To better visit Bali, Pemayun encourages travelers to “respect cultural values, traditions and local wisdom.” He wants visitors to behave methodically, be environmentally friendly, stay longer, spend money on local businesses, and make repeat visits.
Shekawat also recommends reading up on cultural norms before traveling and exploring areas of Bali that are less visited than most popular spots like Seminyak, Ubud, Canggu and Uluwatu. You may need to head north and west of the island, including West Bali National Park, a wildlife oasis where 160 have been recorded. Race bird’s. You can also take a ferry to the nearby Gili Islands or Lombok. Here you’ll find more sun, sand, and surf, but fewer tourists.
Wherever you go, “Respect our culture,” said Letnonningsey. “That’s Bali, Bali, its rich culture.”