Indonesia to reform tourism on tropical island Bali, senior minister says

30/8/2024 18:43

        Indonesia will conduct an audit to reform tourism on the tropical island of Bali to improve tourism quality and preserve local culture and jobs.
        
        Luhut Pandjaitan, senior minister overseeing tourism said on his Instagram page, about 200,000 foreigners currently live in Bali and have created problems such as crime, over-development and competition for employment.
        
        He said, "Foreign tourists who bring problem here, such as narcotics, gangs, and other issues, we can deport them from Indonesia, from Bali, and we don't want them to enter Bali anymore."
        
        Foreign arrivals in Bali have surged since the island reopened after COVID, and videos of misbehaving tourists often go viral, angering local residents and sparking harsh responses from social media users in Indonesia.
        
        Data from Indonesia's statistics bureau shows that 2.9 million foreign visitors entered the island through Bali airport in the first half of this year, accounting for 65% of Indonesia's total foreign arrivals by air for the period.