Bali is considering a tourist tax (Image: Getty )
is considering enforcing a new tourist tax inspired by a wave of similar measures introduced to combat over-tourism at destinations in Europe.
Bali, in Indonesia, is a tropical idyll loved by visitors from the UK, US, Europe and Australia, who come seeking to enjoy the spiritual and natural wonders .
But like many global destinations, the local infrastructure and environment can be impacted if the number of visitors reach high levels and authorities are now conisdering introducing a new tax to enable them to be more ‘selective’ over visitors.
According to , Wayan Puspa Negara, head of the Bali Marginal Tourism Actors Alliance and a lawmaker in Bali’s Badung regency, told the South China Morning Post that the island may follow the example from other countries.
Bhutan, a stunning landlocked nation in the Himalayas, has imposed a whopping £190 tax on travellers, and in Europe some cities have levvied a daily rate of around £15.
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Bali is considering a tourist tax to stem high numbers (Image: Getty )
Wayan Puspa Negara said: “They select tourists from a spending perspective, it’s the same as when [Indonesians] go to the US, Europe or Britain.”
Mr Negara cited the Bhutan example, and the methods used in Europe, and he said a new tax in Bali could start at around $90, or around £80.
In February last year the island introduced a 150,000 Indonesian rupiah, around £8 fee, which it said was to support environmental projects.
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Bali is considering a tourist tax to reduce high numbers (Image: Getty )
More than 250,000 British tourists visit Bali every year and flights from the UK start from around £800, with some airlines offering even cheaper deals.
The tropical island is steeped in history and has influences from all over South East Asia, from mostly Hindu and Buddhist traditions.
Bali is also home to a number of active and dormant volcanoes, the largest and most active of which is Mount Agung, which rises to an impressive 9,944 ft, making it the tallest point on the island.
Agung was last most active from 2017 to 2019 when huge clouds of ash were spewed out across the island causing more than 100,000 people to be evacuated. The eruption also triggered thousands of earthquakes across the island.