According to local authorities, approximately 200,000 foreigners are currently residing in Bali, leading to a range of problems including crime and competition for jobs. The influx of foreigners choosing Bali as their permanent home has resulted in increased criminal activity, drug trafficking, and other illegal activities. This has prompted calls for the deportation of offenders and a ban on their subsequent return to the country.
The number of foreign tourists in Bali has skyrocketed since the island reopened after the COVID pandemic, and videos of misbehaving tourists frequently go viral, infuriating locals and sparking outrage on Indonesian social media.
According to Indonesia's Central Bureau of Statistics, 2.9 million foreign tourists arrived in Bali via the island's airport in the first half of this year, accounting for 65% of all foreign arrivals in Indonesia by air during that period.
Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno stated earlier this month that the government aims to avoid a "Barcelona-like situation where tourists have become enemies of the people," as reported by the national news agency Antara.
Additionally, the government intends to address the island's waste problem, improve its infrastructure, and prevent overdevelopment. "We don't want rice fields to be turned into villas or become nudist clubs," the government stated. "For us, quality is more important than numbers."
In light of these challenges, the authorities are developing a tourism reform plan for Bali, which they promise to unveil soon.
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