In light of the island’s ongoing Environmental woes, authorities in Bali are planning to unveil a USD 10 tax on foreign visitors to the island. The revenue will be directed to support Environmental and cultural preservation programs. The policy will not be imposed on local tourists. The Bali Tourism Board has a targeted 6.5 million foreign tourists to arrive in 2018
Lawmakers are conducting further discussion on how the new tourist tax will be collected. Options include levying on top of air ticket charges or collecting it upon tourists’ arrival at the airport. They are optimistic that the tax will not dampen tourists’ enthusiasm to visit Bali.
This plan follows a ban on single-use plastics, in the form of shopping bags, Styrofoam and straws, introduced in December 2018. Stipulated in the Gubernatorial Regulation No. 97/2018, the law hopes to reduce plastic found in Balinese water as much as 70% within a year.
(Sources: The Guardian; Channel News Asia)
