In the ongoing saga of Bali versus unruly (or potentially naughty) travellers, the island’s authorities have confirmed that they will issue all visitors with a new good behaviour guide for tourists.
Due in the next few weeks, officials will issue the new guide to all travellers arriving at Denpasar International Airport. In the form of an information card, it will outline what visitors should and more importantly shouldn’t do whilst on the island, The Bali Sun reported.
The rollout of the guide comes amid a spike in bad tourist behaviour in the province.
The most recent, high-profile incident involved a German tourist who stripped naked during a performance at a sacred temple.
According to The Straits Times, the 28-year-old reputedly pushed past security after being denied a ticket to the show at the Saraswati Ubud Temple.
Bali Vice Governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati (aka Cok Ace) told local media the latest incident, which went viral on social media, was regrettable.
“Especially since it occurred in Ubud, where culture and tradition run deep,” he said.
“It’s not just a Bali issue. There are countries at war, countries in economic turmoil, [and their people] see Bali as having this extraordinary pull.
“Everything is cheap [in Bali], the people are kind, so [foreigners] come to Bali. Not just the good ones; the stressed ones, too.”
The new tourist guide is part of an overall strategy to combat such behaviour and to ensure visitors respect Balinese culture.
How it works
“The card will be created and handed over at immigration so that the immigration can tuck the card into the foreigner’s passport when they land at I Gusti Ngurah Rai [Denpasar] Airport,” Head of the Regional Office of the Bali Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Anggiat Napitupulu, told local media.
The guide is the result of a partnership between the Ministry, the Provincial Government, and the Bali Tourism Office.
“We have had several meetings. The tourism office is formulating the [copywriting],” Napitupulu said.
“So, it will be either in the form of a pocket-sized sheet or a card. The card contains what is allowed and what is not allowed to be done in Bali.”
In March, provincial tourism officials also revealed plans to introduce billboards that aim to encourage what authorities consider appropriate behaviour among visitors.
Also in March, Bali Governor Wayan Koster told national authorities to ban international travellers from hiring motorbikes and only allow tourists to rent cars from travel agents.
