Bali establishes hotline to dob in unruly tourists

Bali, Indonesia- 16 Oct, 2019: Locals and tourists on crowded Kuta Beach in Bali a popular travel destination.
By James Harrison


The Balinese Government has established a hotline for citizens to report instances of tourists behaving badly.

For worried locals looking to dob in some unruly travellers, they can call a task force named Bali Becik ‘(‘becik’ means ‘good’ in Balinese).

The hotline comes at the request of Bali’s director general of immigration, Silmy Karim, who is looking to eliminate instances of disrespectful and illegal behaviour by tourists, according to The Bali Sun.

“We, from the Bali Becik Task Force, invite the people of Bali to report foreigners who violate the hotline number 08 139 9679 966. Community participation is certainly very much needed in supervising and taking action against unruly tourists,” Karim said.

“The formation of the Bali Becik Task Force is due to the rise of tourists who misbehave. So, in the future, it can minimise the actions of naughty tourists in Bali.

“The main problem regarding foreigners in Bali is the large number of foreign tourists (tourists) with low spending who often make trouble.”

Tourists on the beach in Bali (iStock)

The task force comprises 25 officers who will work in partnership with various departments and teams across the Balinese Government. Karim said that these teams, in conjunction with the task force, must follow up on reports within 72 hours.

These reports can include a variety of bad behaviour from violating traffic law, disrespecting local culture, breaking their visa conditions, or disturbing public order.

The hotline has been established as Bali looks to attract ‘good quality’ or ‘high quality’ tourists, which is still a somewhat vague term amongst Indonesian officials, though Karim has indicated that a good tourist is a higher spending tourist who doesn’t cause trouble.

“The main problem regarding foreigners in Bali is the large number of foreign tourists with low spending who often make trouble,” he said at the announcement of the Bali Becik Task Force.

“Because Bali is included in the category of cheap tourist destinations, so it attracts thin-pocketed tourists.”

In light of a string of unruly tourist behaviour, the Balinese Government established a list of ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ for incoming travellers. Among the list includes respecting religious sites, dressing modestly and following Indonesian traffic laws.

Alongside this, the tourist destination announced that it will implement a $15 tourist tax from the beginning of next year. Bali’s governor Wayne Koster said the money will be used “for the environment, culture and we will build better quality infrastructure so travelling to Bali will be more comfortable and safe.”

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