BALINEWSID.COM, DENPASAR — Bali Governor Wayan Koster claimed that the vast majority of foreign tourists who comply with Bali’s foreign tourist levy requirement make their payments before arriving on the island, with pre-arrival compliance reaching more than 96 percent.

“Of the foreign tourists who fulfilled their obligation to pay the levy, more than 96 percent made the payment before departing for Bali,” Koster said during a press conference on Saturday (May 16, 2026).

Koster explained that since the foreign tourist levy policy was implemented on February 14 until December 31, 2024, around 2.1 million foreign visitors had paid the levy.

Out of approximately 6.3 million foreign tourists visiting Bali during that period, the payment compliance rate stood at around 32 percent. The Bali provincial government collected approximately Rp318 billion in revenue from the policy.

Meanwhile, from January 1 to December 31, 2025, the number of foreign tourists paying the levy increased to around 2.4 million people, equivalent to about 34 percent of the total 7 million foreign visitors arriving in Bali.

“Total revenue collected from the foreign tourist levy reached Rp369 billion,” Koster said.

He stressed that the entire payment process is conducted digitally, with no cash payments accepted. According to him, all levy funds are transferred directly to the account of Bank BPD Bali before being forwarded to the Bali provincial treasury.

“There is no direct contact between individuals, making misuse or irregularities impossible,” he said.

Koster said the funds generated from the tourist levy are allocated for preserving Balinese culture, protecting the environment, developing infrastructure, and improving tourist destinations. He added that the use of funds is managed through the regional budget mechanism and monitored under existing regulations, including audits by Indonesia’s State Audit Agency.

Despite the compliance rate still hovering around 34 percent, Koster said the policy has already delivered positive results by creating a new source of locally generated revenue for Bali.

To improve compliance further, Koster plans to invite all 34 foreign consuls general based in Bali to a meeting scheduled for May 21, 2026.

“In the near future, on May 21, I will invite all consuls general in Bali to contribute to this effort,” he said.