Indonesia is one of the most visited countries in Southeast Asia. It is known for its white sand beaches, its temples and its UNESCO-designated rice fields. Due to being so unique, Indonesia has welcomed a whopping 5.7 million travellers in 2017.
Indonesia is struggling to handle the great amount of tourists and now speaks of “overtourism”. For this reason, Indonesia is now considering introducing a tourist tax. British travellers should consider the cost of the Bali tourist tax in addition to the cost of applying for the Indonesia visa.
Indonesia suffering from its own success
Indonesia seems to be suffering from its success. The country is now struggling with overtourism and can no longer handle the crowds. According to the Indonesian website Jakarta Post, Bali’s regional government is now considering implementing a tourist tax. Meanwhile, Bali has produced a draft bill requiring visitors to pay the equivalent of 10 USD.
The traveller is required to pay the fee when leaving the country. “Tourists like our nature and our culture. Why shouldn’t we introduce a tax to make sure that they stay beautiful?” wonders Nyoman Adi Wiryatama, head of Bali’s provincial parliament.
Tourists willing to pay the Bali tourist tax
The government's idea of introducing a tourist tax for Bali is not out of the blue. The proposal was previously examined by the Udayana University, based in Bali, specialised in hospitality and tourism. According to the university’s research, visitors wouldn’t mind paying a small tourist tax, as long as it helps keep the island and its environment in a good state.
The research shows that a whopping 60 per cent of tourists think a small tourist tax is a good idea. Indonesia wouldn’t be the first country in the world to introduce such a tax. For example, a tourist tax called “departure tax” has already been introduced in Japan. It is a nine-dollar tax meant to maintain tourist infrastructure.
Some European countries also work with tourist taxes. For example, visiting Venice in Italy requires an 11-dollar tax, meant to make up for the losses of local hotels. At the Taj Mahal in India, higher prices are charged to regulate the number of visitors.
You also need an Indonesia visa
If you’re travelling to Indonesia and staying longer than 30 days, you should consider several additional costs, besides the hypothetical Bali tourist tax. For instance, British travellers have to apply for an Indonesia visa. It is mandatory for all travellers to hold a visa for Indonesia, including minors. Each traveller must hold their own passport and visa.
It is not always necessary to apply for an Indonesia visa. If you are going to stay in the country for less than 30 days, you don’t need a visa. In fact, the visa is only mandatory for tourists who wish to stay in Indonesia for more than 30 days. You can easily submit your Indonesia visa application online via this website at the cost of € 64,95 per person.
Visa Indonesia application
Applying for an Indonesia visa used to be quite complicated, but nowadays, you can easily apply for the Indonesia visa online. In fact, it is no longer necessary to apply for the visa through the embassy or consulate. You can instead make use of the online application form for the Indonesia visa, which will then be sent to you via e-mail.
Urgent Indonesia visa application
It usually takes 2 weeks for an Indonesia visa to be granted. However, if you are travelling to Indonesia soon, you may submit an urgent application. The average delivery time for urgent applications is 6 working days. However, in this case, an additional fee of € 17,50 per person will be charged.
Please note: this news article about the visa for Indonesia is more than one year old. It might contain outdated information and advice, and no rights can therefore be derived from this article. Are you going on a trip soon and do you wish to do know what rules currently apply? Read all about the up-to-date information about the visa for Indonesia.