Bali crackdown: Travel operators Intrepid on new rules as Task Force put tourists on notice

Bali's new tourism Task Force appears to be a change of tack for the easygoing Indonesian pleasure island. Photo / 123rf

Indonesia’s top tourist destination appears to have declared war on unruly visitors, establishing a tourism Task Force and causing concern for hospitality on the island. But one travel operator is not concerned by the Bali Crackdown.

As Bali bounces back from a pandemic slump, tourists returning to Indonesia’s Isle of the Gods might notice a different attitude towards international visitors.

It’s been dubbed the “Bali Crackdown”. In March, ahead of the return of tourists from Australia and New Zealand, the Bali Tourism board published six common sense rules on tourist behaviour.

From June, tourists arriving to Denpasar International Airport were handed double-sided flyers of do’s and don’ts.

At the end of the 21-point guide, telling visitors to avoid wearing “unproper clothes” and to respect the conditions of their visa is a warning that “offences are subject to law or deportation”.

But this new approach goes beyond “eat, pray, pamphlet”.

Indonesia’s director general of immigration, Silmy Karim, has created the Bali Becik Task Force whose main role is to vet arrivals. According to the Bali Tourism Office, they expect the tourism task force not only to check visa conditions but police all aspects of visitor behaviour.

By July, Indonesia claimed to have already deported 198 visitors for violations - more than the total for 2022. Bali’s reputation as an island of tolerance has been stretched thin by drunken tourists and one too many naked rampages through sacred sites.

While the Task Force’s remit extends only until December 31, there’s a feeling that the change in attitude towards tourists might be longer lasting.

Tourists enjoy a drink in a beach bar along Seminyak beach, just north of Kuta, in Bali, in this 2014 photo.

So what is it like to run a tourism company in Bali at the moment?

According to Ravindra Singh Shekhawat, general manager of Intrepid Travel Indonesia, it’s “business as usual”.

“The articles they are trying to enforce, these rules were always there,” he says. What is new is the fact that Bali now feels it needs to explicitly educate travellers about their rules.

Shekhawat, who has lived in Indonesia for the past four years, says there wasn’t much to compare it to prior to the pandemic but there was a feeling that bad behaviour had returned with international visitors.

While the majority of problem tourists are penalised for driving without helmets or misusing visas, there are also sensational stories that make it into the news.

In April, Russian yogi Alina Fazleeva was deported for posing naked at the base of a sacred tree. The following month, 28-year-old German national Darja Tuschinski disrupted a ceremony in Ubud by parading unclothed through the Saraswati Temple. The tourist was later booked a deportation flight to Europe at cost to Indonesia, after it was found she had insufficient money to finance her stay.

A woman poses naked with a sacred tree in Bali. Photo / @niluhdjelantik, Instagram

“What doesn’t get discussed is how long it takes for the local people to clean the temple - to restore the sanctity. The consequences of her actions go beyond the hurt it causes. A good amount of time and money was required to clean and purify the temple.”

Shekhawat says that, while diving violations or abusing visa terms might be obvious grounds for issuing fines to tourists, tourists should be aware of cultural sensitivities of the islands.

He feels that some visitors have mistaken Bali’s live-and-let-live, non-confrontational culture as permission to do what they like.

“The Balinese are proud people, absolutely proud of their island culture and religious beliefs.

“People believe Bali is a party island without restrictions. That’s not true.”

While there is plenty of space for leisure seekers between Bali, Nusa and Lombok, at points the behaviour is so in-your-face that the crackdown seemed inevitable.

“It’s something I saw at breakfast the other day. On one side of the beach was a Balinese ceremony. Just five metres away was an Instagram influencer, taking bikini photos,” he says.

“They [the locals] did not utter a single word,” despite the interaction being “so disrespectful” to onlookers.

The fact the Task Force now has a hotline for anonymously reporting unruly tourists might break the culture of silence.

Although Shekhawat says that, with so many jobs relying on tourism, it is hard to say how quickly Balinese will pick up the phone to report visitors.

Bali leaders and authorities are sick of tourists not obeying their laws and local customs, such as riding a motorcycle without helmet. Photo / Agunng Parameswara, Getty Images

Peak problem tourists on Bali’s Sacred mountains

One area that has affected tourism operations is the ban on climbing many sacred mountains.

Earlier this year the proposed climbing ban caused a stir among tour operators.

There was some confusion in July, after Bali governor Wayan Koster proposed a ban on tourists climbing the island’s 22 mountains “with immediate effect”.

This was walked back after highland villages and mountain trekking operators complained about the impact on their livelihoods. however, the tourism ministry says that a ban is still in discussion.

While some operators have stopped offering climbs, adverts for independent tour guides still promise sunrise hikes on Mt Agung.

Shekhawat says Intrepid is no longer offering climbs to Mt Agung, the highest and most sacred mountain.

“Mt Batur is still open, although you cannot visit temples,” which he says is a new condition on tours. “Another, is what tourists wear. There is now a dress code for when hiking.”

The mountain climb is often the most popular part of Intrepid itineraries, says Shekhawat. By employing local guides and cultural consultants, he says that they will be able to keep itineraries on the right side of local tourist bylaws.

Itineraries and tour “trip notes” now reflect the new requirements on mountain tourists, but Intrepid says there is nothing that will affect the experience for the vast majority of tourists.

“Our guides will help explain to guests if there are new rules - but there’s nothing impacting any responsible travellers.”

Intrepid has published its own list to keep visitors on the right side of the Tourism Task force, with a 10-step guide to being a responsible traveller in Bali or elsewhere.