Bali Distributes Dos and Don'ts Cards to Foreign Tourists Entering the Island

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - In an attempt to prevent international tourists from acting rowdy during their visit to Bali, the Law and Human Rights Ministry in partnership with the Bali immigration office will start distributing a card containing lists of obligations and banned activities for tourists. The card will be handed to tourists at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.

Anggiat Napitupulu, as the Head of the Bali Province Law and Human Rights Ministry, called for people to report foreigners who commit negative behaviors. 

“Immediately report bad behaviors by foreign citizens to the immigration office,” said Anggiat on June 8, Antara reported. 

In the initial stage, the immigration office will give 1,000 cards which contain 12 requirements as a tourist and eight acts that are prohibited in the tourism island. 

Anggiat said that this is needed to better educate foreign tourists regarding local laws and norms, especially after recent cases involving disrespectful foreign tourists that took national news headlines. 

Dos and Don’ts Card 

This card will be inserted into tourists' international passenger passports after completing the identity check process and after obtaining an immigration stamp. The writing on the red card in the first phase uses English with a shorter and more concise message.

Anggiat elaborated that in the future, the cards will also be printed in four languages, namely Russian, Indian, Mandarin, and Japanese. This is based on the number of tourists from the aforementioned countries that dominate tourist visits to Bali. 

The prohibitions and obligations are in accordance with the Circular (SE) of Bali Governor No. 4/2023 concerning the New Order for foreign tourists while in Bali. 

The following is what contains in the card:

Obligation (the Dos)

1. Honoring the sanctity of temples and sacred religious symbols.
2. Respecting customs, traditions, arts, and culture, as well as the local wisdom of the Balinese community.
3. Wear gracious, reasonable, and appropriate clothing when visiting holy places, tourist attractions, and public places, and during activities in Bali.
4. Act cordially in sacred areas, tourist areas, restaurants, shopping areas, highways, and other public places.
5. Accompanied by a licensed tour guide when visiting tourist attractions as they hone the understanding of natural conditions, customs, traditions, and local wisdom of the Balinese people.
6. Performing foreign currency exchange at authorized money changer (KUPVA) providers, both banks and non-banks, marked with a license number and a QR code logo from Bank Indonesia.
7. Make payments using the Indonesian Standard QR Code.
8. Making transactions using the Rupiah currency.
9. Drive in compliance with the laws and regulations in force in Indonesia and have a valid international or national driving license, follow traffic laws, dress modestly, wear a helmet, and not operate vehicles under the influence of alcoholic beverages and/or illegal drugs.
10. Use official four-wheeled or two-wheeled transportation under the auspices of a business entity or motor vehicle leasing association.
11. Staying in legal accommodation business places that have permits in accordance with the provisions of the laws and regulations.
12. Comply with all special provisions/rules that apply to each tourist attraction and tourist activity.

What’s Prohibited (the Don’ts)

1. Entering the main and middle courtyards of holy places or sacred places such as temples, pelinggih, except for the purpose of praying by wearing Balinese traditional clothing.
2. Climbing any sacred tree.
3. Behavior that desecrates holy places and sanctified places, temples, pratima (sacred temple objects), and religious symbols, such as climbing sacred buildings and taking pictures in immodest clothes or worse, without clothes.
4. Littering and polluting lakes, springs, rivers, seas, and public places.
5. Use single-use plastics such as plastic bags, polystyrene (styrofoam), and plastic straws.
6. Expressing harsh words, impolite behavior, being rowdy, and acting aggressively towards state officials, government, local communities, and fellow tourists directly or indirectly through social media, such as spreading hate speech and hoaxes.
7. Working and or conducting business activities without having official documents issued by state officials.
8. Engaging in illegal activities that exploit the local Bali flora and fauna, cultural artifacts, and sacred objects, and trading in illegal goods, including illegal drugs.

ANTARA

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