Construction Ban on Hotels and Nightclubs in Major Tourist Attractions
The world-renowned resort destination Bali in Indonesia has decided not to build new hotels and nightclubs for the time being. The reason is that the influx of too many tourists is causing harm to the local residents.
According to Indonesia's Antara News Agency and others on the 10th (local time), the Bali provincial government is currently discussing such a plan. The content is a request to the Indonesian government to suspend construction permits for new hotels, resorts, nightclubs, and beach clubs for two years, focusing on famous Bali tourist spots such as Canggu, Seminyak, Uluwatu, and Ubud. Local media reported that the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Investment also agreed and is discussing specific measures, including the start date of implementation.
On the 8th, Luhut Panjaitan, Minister of the Ministry of Marine Investment, also stated in a local media interview that there are currently 200,000 foreigners residing in Bali, and they cause various problems such as crime, excessive development, employment competition, and job shortages, adding that the grace period could be extended to 10 years.
The authorities are trying to curb development in Bali because the massive influx of tourists is causing various social problems. In the first half of this year, 2.9 million foreign tourists entered through Bali airport, accounting for 65% of all foreign arrivals in Indonesia.
Some foreign tourists in Bali have engaged in behavior that causes disapproval, such as riding motorcycles without helmets, and wandering around streets, shopping malls, and public institutions without proper clothing. Influencers have also been frequently expelled for taking nude photos at major sacred sites in Bali. The trade of various illegal drugs in clubs is also increasing.
In response, the Indonesian government began collecting a tourism tax of 150,000 rupiah (about 13,000 won) from foreign tourists visiting Bali starting in February. They are also considering raising the tourism tax fivefold to restrict ‘problematic’ tourists who disregard local laws and norms.
Meanwhile, the Greek government announced plans to impose a tourism tax of 20 euros (about 29,700 won) per person on cruise ship passengers visiting Santorini and Mykonos during the summer peak season. Since Santorini and Mykonos, suffering from overtourism, mainly receive tourists via cruise ships, measures targeting cruise ship passengers were necessary. Part of the tourism tax revenue will be used to expand local community infrastructure.
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