Kiwis who plan to head to Bali for a holiday will soon have to pay a new tourist tax when they arrive.
On February 14 next year, the cost of IDR150,000 (NZ$16) is set to kick in for tourists who land at the island's Ngurah Rai Airport.
With the popular destination hot spot seeing more than 15,000 travellers per day, Bali.com assured the process of payment to be "fast and efficient" in an announcement on Wednesday.
"The payment process will take a mere 23 seconds and tourists can conveniently make the payment using their cards," the announcement read. "Over 20 officers will be on hand to facilitate payments."
However, lines at the airport are expected to be long, with options of paying online in advance not expected to be ready in time.
Visitors of all ages expected to pay
The site announcing the new policy, linked to the Indonesian government, stated the tax rate applies to visitors of all ages.
"It is worth noting that travellers returning to Bali after visiting other destinations in Indonesia such as the Gili Islands, Lombok or Sumbawa will be subject to the tax once more," the post read.
"However, this tax does not extend to travellers visiting the nearby Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan."
Money to go towards environmental efforts, Indonesia govt says
The money will apparently go towards "environmental conservation, nature preservation, cultural enhancement and overall quality improvement".
"Acting Governor of Bali, Sang Made Mahendra Jaya, aims to prioritise waste management with the initial proceeds from the tourism tax," Bali.com said. "However, long-term spending decisions will ultimately be the prerogative of the next Governor and his administration following the 2024 elections.
"Speculation has arisen regarding the possibility of this fee being valid for a specific duration, such as 30 days, but as of now, no official indications support this idea. The tax, it appears, will continue to be enforced on a per-visit basis."
In 2019, a total of 6.3 million tourists visited the island from around the world.
Bali expects to make up to $255,000 per day from tourists once the policy kicks in and millions every year.
