The Bali Provincial Government encourages applications for exemptions from the foreign tourist levy to be made five days before arrival.
Several categories of foreign tourists are exempt from the Tourism Levy, including holders of diplomatic visas, limited stay permit cards (KITAS), permanent stay permit cards (KITAP), family reunification visas, student visas, crew visas on means of transportation or means of conveyance, and Golden Visa.
“Yesterday, there was a volunteer who wanted to get an exemption; he could apply, but five days beforehand, he had to submit [his application] via the Love Bali app,” the Head of the Bali Tourism Service, Tjok Bagus Pemayun, told the press on Sunday, 18th February.
Pemayun also said that once the submission is received in the system, a team from the Bali Tourism Office would proceed with verification based on existing considerations after the application was made.
“Later, they [who are exempt from the levy] will receive an exemption barcode from Love Bali. Just like tourists paying abroad, they will immediately receive a barcode,” he explained.
According to Pemayun, several tourists have applied for Tourism Levy exemptions, though he did not specify the amount. He emphasised that there is no exact record of the number of tourists from certain countries who pay the highest fees. Data on levy results will continue to be evaluated. Also, Pemayun acknowledged that he was discussing mechanisms related to providing discounts at several tourist destinations for foreign tourists who had paid the fees.
A levy of Rp150,000 (US$10) — also known as Tourism Levy — has been implemented since 14th February, with as many as 8,000 to 10,000 foreign tourists having paid the levy. The tourists may show the proof of payment to officers via the Love Bali application or at the travel agent and hotel where they stay. This figure was recorded based on the number of foreign tourists who have landed at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. Tourism Levy will be used to strengthen the foundation of Bali’s culture-based tourism.
Shinobu Ishimoto, a Japanese tourist who is visiting Bali, hopes that the Tourism Levy can be used as intended by the provincial government, in particular when it comes to maintaining the natural beauty of Bali.
“The fee is not that high. I can still pay. If this can make the nature in Bali more beautiful, I’ll be very happy. So, this [Tourism Levy] is no problem for me,” Ishimoto told the press.
Another Japanese tourist, Bayakata Fumi, shared the same sentiment as Ishimoto’s. The former also hopes that the Tourism Levy will be used as optimally as possible for tourism in Bali
“It’s okay. The nominal amount doesn’t matter either,” Fumi added.