It has been almost every week since Bali’s new tourism tax got here into impact.
The brand new coverage requires all worldwide vacationers to the province to pay a compulsory IDR 150,000 tourism levy.
Though the primary few days have been clean, leaders say extra adjustments might be on their method.
Initially, leaders stated that they needed vacationers to all pay their tourism tax earlier than arriving in Bali. Vacationers are capable of pay their charges through the Love Bali web site or app.
The method is fairly easy and easy, and solely requires vacationers to enter their private particulars, journey particulars and proceed to fee.
They’re then despatched a QR-code voucher that they’ll present to inspectors on arrival at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Worldwide Airport.
It’s also doable for vacationers to pay their price on arrival at Bali Airport, ought to they be unable to take action on-line previous to landing.
There’s a devoted tourism tax fee counter within the arrivals corridor at Bali Airport. Nonetheless, officers needed this to be one thing of a failsafe since this fee can’t be processed similtaneously the visa-on-arrival fee.
The tourism tax funds are being collected by the provincial authorities to be spent by the provincial authorities.
The visa-on-arrival charges are collected by the central authorities’s Division of Immigration and pooled with charges gathered and funds generated by immigration companies throughout Indonesia.
Paying on arrival at Bali Airport is equally easy. A easy contactless or chip-and-pin card fee may be made on the counter earlier than continuing to the immigration line.
Vacationers also can pay for his or her tourism tax through their journey agent, lodge, or resort, offered that they’re staying at an lodging registered with the Indonesian Accommodations and Eating places Affiliation for Bali.
To date, so good; easy sufficient. Proper? With loads of methods to dodge the queues, the entire course of ought to stay so simple as that.
Not fairly; the stumbling block officers at Bali Airport are actually experiencing is that queues are forming for vacationers who’ve adopted all the appropriate steps however must have their QR-code scanned earlier than continuing to begin their trip.
Final week, the Head of the Ball Tourism Workplace, Tjok Bagus Penayun, revealed that there are simply seven scanning units to course of, confirm, and log tourism tax vouchers.
Within the top of the excessive season, Bali Airport can welcome upwards of 60,000 passengers a day, the overwhelming majority of whom are foreigners who’re required to pay the tourism tax.
Though Bali is within the off-season now and welcoming far fewer every day guests, seven handheld scanners are usually not ample.
Pemayun has revealed that plans are underway to rectify this earlier than it turns into a significant drawback; all choices are on the desk, it appears.
Pemayun instructed reporters, “At first we needed to put in a gate scanner, nevertheless it wasn’t doable earlier than it could improve the queue.”
He continued to clarify that, at this level, handheld scanners are the most suitable choice, particularly for the reason that areas utilized by Indonesian Immigration companies can’t be combined with the areas utilized by the provincial authorities for the tourism tax.
Pemayun stated, “Initially, we needed to arrange 5 counters within the customs areas, however alongside the best way, there have been rules and customs that made it not possible to have counters there as a result of that’s an space that needs to be stored clear.”
The choice to take a position and set up static scanning units continues to be on the playing cards, with officers nonetheless evaluating what system will work finest for each vacationers and the airport in the long term.
The system may change once more within the coming weeks. However for now, vacationers who’ve paid their price previous to arrival can count on to have their voucher scanned by an official with a handheld scanner within the arrivals corridor.
Those that pay on arrival may be requested to indicate their voucher to the scanning employees.
Those that haven’t paid their tourism tax on or earlier than arrival can be required to course of fee once they get to their inns, both on the lodge itself or by logging into Love Bali.