Tourist tension: Bali is the latest hotspot looking to mitigate the impact of tourism
Bad influencers
If you’re heading to Bali to realize your Instagram influencer dreams of sipping cocktails, sampling acai bowls, and inspiring gut-wrenching envy in your followers, you’ll have to cough up 150,000 rupiah (~$10) on arrival, as the island cracks down on misbehaving tourists.
Bali’s beautiful weather, rich heritage, stunning beaches, and local cuisine all combine to make it a must-go for millions of travelers — and visitors to the Indonesian province had been rising every year before travel restrictions, with a record 6.3 million international tourists flocking to experience the island life in 2019.
Tourist tension
The rise of social media has meant that one viral video can be all it takes to send hundreds, or even thousands, of tourists descending on a newfound beauty spot. In June, the Balinese government proposed new laws to ban visitors from climbing its mountains, touching holy trees, and swearing in public, as Bali — like Venice and Hawaii — joins a growing list of hotspots that are turning to tourist taxes and restrictions to mitigate the negative impacts of excessive tourism.
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is perhaps the most extreme example, charging tourists $200 per day to visit — a rate that, even after it halves in September, will remain the highest tourist tax in the world.
