The Indonesian Ombudsman has committed to examining allegations that tourism is being mismanaged in the country, with a special focus on Bali and, even more specifically, the Bali Tourism Tax Levy, which was introduced on the 14th of February 2024.
There are increasing concerns that the policy has not delivered the changes it promised.
On Monday, 27th January, the Indonesian Ombudsman held an informal press conference event, described as a coffee morning titled “Bali Cultural Tourism Service Governance for Foreign Tourists in Bali Province.”
Speaking to reporters during the event, a representative of the Indonesian Ombudsman, Hery Susanto, explained that the investigation will highlight the potential that the Bali tourism sector is sitting on while working to create strategies to mitigate existing policies and regulations that are not delivering positive results.
Susanto shared, “We have a lot of tourism potential, but many have not been developed. This is very unfortunate. Meanwhile, we know that the problem exists, many problems occur in that sector.”
He added,d “There is one neglect due to limited infrastructure, and transportation routes, for example.”
Susanto acknowledged, “Extortion is rampant there. This is a shame.” He was clear: “We actually want to know what regulatory problems are occurring in this sector.”
