Foreign visitors MUST be accompanied by licensed local tour guides

[pantaiema]

On March 24, 2025, the Bali Provincial Government released Circular Letter (SE) Number 7 of 2025, introducing a new set of regulations for foreign tourists visiting the island. Signed by Governor Wayan Koster in Denpasar, the circular formalizes a cultural code of conduct aimed at encouraging respectful behaviour.

While respecting local culture, sacred sites, and laws is important, the requirement that foreign visitors must be accompanied by a licensed local tour guide seems irrational. It’s unclear what influenced the Balinese government to implement such a rule, and it wouldn’t be surprising if some backdoor deals were involved by for instances Big hospitalities industries associations.

Bali introduces comprehensive guidelines for foreign tourists

The Bali Provincial Government issued Circular Letter (SE) Number 7 of 2025 containing new regulations for foreign tourists on Monday. Bali Governor Wayan ...

en.antaranews.com

Indonesia’s Bali Enforces New 2025 Tourist Guidelines in Denpasar to Protect Sacred Sites, Culture, and Sustainable Tourism Growth - Travel And Tour World

Bali enforces new tourist rules in 2025, mandating respectful behavior, proper dress, licensed guides, payment regulations, and eco-conscious travel.

www.travelandtourworld.com

Keep in mind that the Balinese provincial government has already imposed a Rp150k levy on tourists. As far as I know, Bali is the only local authority in Indonesia implementing such a levy. Interestingly, Indonesian Immigration has refused to collect this levy at entry points, and the police have declined to enforce it.

Let’s wait and see what happens once the war between Russia and Ukraine ends and the influx of Russian tourists slows down. Also, it’ll be interesting to see the impact if the central government finds a way to track and tax the income of digital nomads, remote workers, and content creators who have been staying in Canggu for over 183 days. In my view, that could mark the end of Bali’s tourism boom and lead to a burst in the villa rental bubble.

 

[El_Goretto]

It's just a Surat Edaran, so not really enforceable?

 

[AhhSamboi]

Komodo Island and the other surrounding islands have a fee for foreign visitors as well. I can't remember if it's 50 or 150k but when we did it it was included in the price for the boat ride.

 

[Helpful Herbert]

'every foreign visitor must be accompanied by a licensed local tour guide'
'foreign visitors to Bali in 2024 reached 6.3 million'

That's a lot of licensed tour guides!!!

If somebody just wants to go to Bali and lie on a beach in nusa dua for two weeks, will the licenced tour guide be lying on the sun lounger next to him?

 

[Hawk256]

Komodo Island and the other surrounding islands have a fee for foreign visitors as well. I can't remember if it's 50 or 150k but when we did it it was included in the price for the boat ride.

150K from what I remember. What a great trip though. 3 days roaming around on that smaller boat was wonderful.

 

[pantaiema]

Komodo Island and the other surrounding islands have a fee for foreign visitors as well. I can't remember if it's 50 or 150k but when we did it it was included in the price for the boat ride.

I think it is different. The fee you pay in Komodo Island is the fee to see attraction in Komodo National Park. It is not uncommon anywhere in the world you pay to visit the national park. The fee you pay in Komodo National Park is for accessing the attraction.

But in Bali it is a blanket fees. Even you are just visiting friends on business trips. Similarly, tourists in Bali also have to pay an entrance fee to visit Balinese temples and other tourist spots.

 

[Balifrog]

Speak about click baiting....
The "guide" thing is only for visiting very specific places like climbing Mount Agung or visiting the Besakih temple.
And it is not a bad thing as long as the guide speaks English (some can speak other languages) and knows a bit his subject.
As for the 150 "tourist tax" the recent visitors I had never paid it.

 

[fastpitch17]

Speak about click baiting....
The "guide" thing is only for visiting very specific places like climbing Mount Agung or visiting the Besakih temple.
And it is not a bad thing as long as the guide speaks English (some can speak other languages) and knows a bit his subject.
As for the 150 "tourist tax" the recent visitors I had never paid it.

Yes, it would seem the OP doesn't actually reads before the copy and paste followed by some wrong assumptions.

 

[harryopal1]

It seems everywhere countries with tourist attractions really wish only the ultra rich would tour. This lack of concern for the simple fact that around the world there are millions of young people want to stretch their wings and travel, often on a shoe string. We have just seen this kind of narrowmindedness now at the seaside town of Albany in Western Australia handing out $200 fines for camper tourists setting up overnight in the car park next to the local surf club. There are legitimate complaints from local swimmers when they find campers hogging the showers for 20 minutes at a time and washing their cooking utensils. A happier solution would be to recognize that the undesireable itinerants still need to buy food, petrol and other necessities and actually contribute wealth to the local town. As one working locally camper explained, it costs $70 a night to camp at a caravan park and that adds up when living on a limited budget and trying to save for their travels. Better to put in place a facility with multiple showers, cooking, laundry factilities and even wifi. But I suppose this would seem wishy washy sentiment to vested interests that want just the beautiful super rich to come and splash the cash.

 

[pantaiema]

This is basically what the Balinese Government’s doing to collect local taxes and fees. Yeah, dumping trash in the streets or rivers isn’t great, but what choice do people really have? Just let it pile up and stink at home?

But this isn’t just a Bali issue, it’s happening all across Indonesia. That’s why local governments, schools, and universities shouldn’t be allowed to collect money directly people, parents, supposedly for development, until they fix the leaks and stop using the funds to top up their own salaries

 

[harryopal1]

It's actually a world wide thing with much if not most of the trash being plastic. Meanwhile the petroleum industries are planning to increase profits by tripling production in the year ahead. They also produce advertising campaigns that suggest the problem can be controlled if you and I recycle. Intrinsically a good idea but the reality is that plastic can only be recycled a few times before it becomes useles, breaks down into nanoparticles that enter the food chain and is now detected even in blood. The real purpose of the "recycle" advertising by the petroleum industries is to divert attention from themselves saving billions of dollars by not having any responsibility for their waste. Ultimately it is up to governments to require the plastic producers to pay a percentage tax towards effectively dealing with this disgusting plastic waste problem

 

[Shadrach]

This is basically what the Balinese Government’s doing to collect local taxes and fees. Yeah, dumping trash in the streets or rivers isn’t great, but what choice do people really have? Just let it pile up and stink at home?

But this isn’t just a Bali issue, it’s happening all across Indonesia. That’s why local governments, schools, and universities shouldn’t be allowed to collect money directly people, parents, supposedly for development, until they fix the leaks and stop using the funds to top up their own salaries

I do see improvement in towns like Mengwi. The government has installed rubbish collection bins, along the main street. It does seem to be working! This subject should taught in local schools to the kids. The video above is such a sad sight to see! Since everyone here is so connected to their Banjars, then the community leaders should be making this a priority for all the people to adhere to. Jaga Bali Bersih. As I've mentioned before, instead of constantly fighting this problem, and getting nowhere. It's time the Plastic manufacturers develop plastic made from Biodegradable material. Such as vegetable oil, seaweed, tree fiber, etc. This on top of educational programs teaching the People to care about their Island.

 

[Shadrach]

It seems everywhere countries with tourist attractions really wish only the ultra rich would tour. This lack of concern for the simple fact that around the world there are millions of young people want to stretch their wings and travel, often on a shoe string. We have just seen this kind of narrowmindedness now at the seaside town of Albany in Western Australia handing out $200 fines for camper tourists setting up overnight in the car park next to the local surf club. There are legitimate complaints from local swimmers when they find campers hogging the showers for 20 minutes at a time and washing their cooking utensils. A happier solution would be to recognize that the undesireable itinerants still need to buy food, petrol and other necessities and actually contribute wealth to the local town. As one working locally camper explained, it costs $70 a night to camp at a caravan park and that adds up when living on a limited budget and trying to save for their travels. Better to put in place a facility with multiple showers, cooking, laundry factilities and even wifi. But I suppose this would seem wishy washy sentiment to vested interests that want just the beautiful super rich to come and splash the cash.
View attachment 4724

Wow, that's a lot of money just to park. Do these places provide electric hookups, hot showers, clean toilets, WiFi, maybe a communal kitchen, laundry services? After living years in a Motorhome. I would be forced to park in parking lot on the California Coast. All they provided was a toilet, and water. I didn't need any of these facilities, because my Motorhome was a complete house on wheels. But after the days of Grapes of Wrath, when all the Okies came to California looking for those Green Pastures of Plenty. All they found were Cruel Bosses, Violent Goon squads, Slave wages, and become indebted to the company store. So to this day, any place along the coastline is restricted to just look and not park. For someone as you said living on a shoestring budget, $70 a night is too much. The Governor here forgets, that the majority of Bali was developed by Backpackers. They provided a lot of money to the local homestay's, Warung's, small Hotels,Taxi's, retail shops, motorbike, and car, rentals, Etc. He even complained about tourist riding a motorbike wearing a T-shirt was unsightly. Most of the Bali men I see riding a motorbike are wearing T-shirts. I understand wearing bikini's and skimpy clothing is inappropriate, that's to be understood. But young tourist haven't learned yet, If only rich people came here, the vast majority of tourist business would dry up! That is not a wise, thoughtful move.
Instead of focusing on tourist, He should focus on cleaning up the rubbish, expanding the by-passes, educate the children, provide public transportation around the entire Denpasar, South Bali area!

 

[pantaiema]

It's actually a world wide thing with much if not most of the trash being plastic. Meanwhile the petroleum industries are planning to increase profits by tripling production in the year ahead. They also produce advertising campaigns that suggest the problem can be controlled if you and I recycle. Intrinsically a good idea but the reality is that plastic can only be recycled a few times before it becomes useles, breaks down into nanoparticles that enter the food chain and is now detected even in blood. The real purpose of the "recycle" advertising by the petroleum industries is to divert attention from themselves saving billions of dollars by not having any responsibility for their waste. Ultimately it is up to governments to require the plastic producers to pay a percentage tax towards effectively dealing with this disgusting plastic waste problem

In other countries, plastics are also commonly used for packaging. However, they have proper waste collection and sorting systems in place, so you rarely see people throwing their garbage by the roadside or into rivers. If you live near these people in Bali, who dump their garbage by the roadside or into rivers rather, you might actually prefer they throw them in there rather than burn it right in front of your houses.

If you provide people with accessible and designated areas to dispose of plastic bottles and similar waste, they will use them. In fact, many individuals in Indonesia even make their living by money by collecting and selling plastic bottles. Other types of plastic waste can be recycled into composite materials, which can then be used to make bricks or other composite products.

If the Balinese or Indonesian government were to provide separate bins for plastic and other recyclable materials near residential areas, people would likely use them. But have you seen this kind of initiative with enough capacity and regularly emptied ? Or are the officials too busy collecting money directly from the public, through local taxation, things like 'ogoh-ogoh' or THR to top up their own salaries ?

 

[Shadrach]

It's actually a world wide thing with much if not most of the trash being plastic. Meanwhile the petroleum industries are planning to increase profits by tripling production in the year ahead. They also produce advertising campaigns that suggest the problem can be controlled if you and I recycle. Intrinsically a good idea but the reality is that plastic can only be recycled a few times before it becomes useles, breaks down into nanoparticles that enter the food chain and is now detected even in blood. The real purpose of the "recycle" advertising by the petroleum industries is to divert attention from themselves saving billions of dollars by not having any responsibility for their waste. Ultimately it is up to governments to require the plastic producers to pay a percentage tax towards effectively dealing with this disgusting plastic waste problem

You're singing to the Choir!

 

[Shadrach]

In other countries, plastics are also commonly used for packaging. However, they have proper waste collection and sorting systems in place, so you rarely see people throwing their garbage by the roadside or into rivers. If you live near these people, you might actually prefer they throw their garbage by the roadside or into rivers rather than burn it right in front of your houses.

If you provide people with accessible and designated areas to dispose of plastic bottles and similar waste, they will use them. In fact, many individuals in Indonesia even make their living by money by collecting and selling plastic bottles. Other types of plastic waste can be recycled into composite materials, which can then be used to make bricks or other composite products.

If the Balinese or Indonesian government were to provide separate bins for plastic and other recyclable materials near residential areas, people would likely use them. But have you seen this kind of initiative with enough capacity and regularly emptied ? Or are the officials too busy collecting money directly from the public, through local taxation, things like 'ogoh-ogoh' or THR to top up their own salaries ?

The first paragraph doesn't make sense? You say these people collect and properly sort the plastic, the you say they should throw it in the river and streets, if they collect and sort it, then why do you say they burn it in front of your house? I think you should have divide which people you were referring too? The ones that recycle, and the locals here that burn in front of the house!

 

[pantaiema]

The first paragraph doesn't make sense? You say these people collect and properly sort the plastic, the you say they should throw it in the river and streets, if they collect and sort it, then why do you say they burn it in front of your house? I think you should have divide which people you were referring too? The ones that recycle, and the locals here that burn in front of the house!

I am referring to foreigners and others living in Bali near local communities who often dispose of their trash by the roadside or into rivers. You might even prefer they do that instead of burning it right outside your home or accommodation.

Keep in mind, for many of these people, the only options they have are either to dump their garbage by the roadside/into rivers or let it pile up and rot at home. If you were in their position, what would you choose?

Unlike middle income families, many of them simply can't afford the extra fees or what some might call extortion charged by local authorities or banjars just to have their trash collected regularly. There are not enough rubbish collection points. emptied regularly in their areas.

Unlike people with middle class income, these people might already struggle with their basic needs, so they do not have enough money be able to pay extra money, the extortion money from banjars, local authorities employers to get their rubbish bin to be emptied regularly.

 

[Shadrach]

I am referring to foreigners and others living in Bali near local communities who often dispose of their trash by the roadside or into rivers. You might even prefer they do that instead of burning it right outside your home or accommodation.

Keep in mind, for many of these people, the only options they have are either to dump their garbage by the roadside/into rivers or let it pile up and rot at home. If you were in their position, what would you choose?

Unlike middle income families, many of them simply can't afford the extra fees or what some might call extortion charged by local authorities or banjars just to have their trash collected regularly. There are not enough rubbish collection points. emptied regularly in their areas.

Unlike people with middle class income, these people might already struggle with their basic needs, so they do not have enough money be able to pay extra money, the extortion money from banjars, local authorities employers to get their rubbish bin to be emptied regularly.

An interesting point. I know everyone already has to pay money to the Banjar, and many pay into a community group fund to cover expenses such as cremations. Since they are so expensive. My friend told me a cremation cost 40 million, and up! Where on Earth does this money go? To build a bamboo tower, and a Statue to cremate the body in, just can't cost that many millions of Rupiah? Does it go to the Priest, and Temple? Or Where? Even if they have to make lots of little Nasi Bunkus, and buy cases of small water bottles, those things just don't cost that much.
Your solution of poor people burning their trash, or throwing it everywhere, just doesn't fit. It would interesting to know what a Banjar, or local authorities charge for disposal service? Does the regional government help? Is someone pocketing some of this money?
I believe many just don't care, or don't understand, about pollution, or create toxic smoke from burning plastic! What is the real truth about this matter?

 

[pantaiema]

Your solution of poor people burning their trash, or throwing it everywhere, just doesn't fit. It would interesting to know what a Banjar, or local authorities charge for disposal service? Does the regional government help? Is someone pocketing some of this money?
I believe many just don't care, or don't understand, about pollution, or create toxic smoke from burning plastic! What is the real truth about this matter?

A very few people might be lacking of common sense, but why would they choose to burn their trash or dump it on the roadside, rivers if there were a more convenient and cheaper option like using a nearby rubbish container at a regularly serviced collection point? You do not need to educate people for this. For sensible people, it is a natural response.

 

[Balifrog]

A very few people might be lacking of common sense, but why would they choose to burn their trash or dump it on the roadside, rivers if there were a more convenient and cheaper option like using a nearby rubbish container at a regularly serviced collection point? You do not need to educate people for this. For sensible people, it is a natural response.

In the Missus hamlet, 40 km south of Banyuwangi, there is no garbage collection.
Hence the people throw everything in the small stream (about 3 m wide) that goes through it.
The same stream in which they swim, bathe, wash clothes, shit and wash the dog.
We have bought a concrete ring, the style used for underground waste water or drainage, and burn the garbage in there.
Well as long she is there, because I am sure when she is not there it's back to all in the river....
And in a place where a daily worker in the fields or construction earns 75k a day, good luck trying to convince them to pay 1 day salary per month for garbage collection !

There is also no water distribution system, everybody has a well. Cable internet has arrived 2 years ago, before it was by SIM card.