Nearly 4 million tourists (3.89 million people) flew to Bali in the first half of 2024 alone. According to Ngurah Rai Immigration Service, this is 2.9 million more people compared to the same period in 2023. If foreigners continue to arrive on the island at this pace, there's a strong chance of breaking the historical record for the number of visitors this year.
All of this contributes to significant non-tax revenue. Profits from visa issuance from January 1 to June 30, 2024, reached 874.9 billion rupiahs, or 56.6 percent of the target of 1.5 trillion rupiahs, according to Ngurah Rai Immigration Office.
Meanwhile, Balinese officials have decided to focus on security. Therefore, the regional office of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights in Bali province is strengthening control over foreign citizens. This primarily means that everyone entering the island through Ngurah Rai Airport will face stricter checks on passports, visas, and residence permits.
"We strive to ensure strict immigration oversight to maintain safety and order in Bali," said the head of the regional office of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Kanwil Kemenkumham.
The official also noted that an integrated immigration information system will be used to enhance control, facilitating the monitoring of foreign citizens' movements.
Currently, the majority of tourists in Bali are from Australia. From January to July this year, 877,329 Australians visited the island. Indian tourists came in second with 328,767 visitors, and China ranked third with 278,329 visitors.
There are also significant numbers of visitors from countries such as the United Kingdom, South Korea, the United States, France, Malaysia, Singapore, and Germany.
To improve the efficiency of foreigner supervision, the immigration service collaborates with related agencies, including the police, customs, and tourism offices. Additionally, officials encourage the public to participate in maintaining safety and order and to report suspicious foreigners.
International tourists are urged to comply with Indonesian laws and regulations. Those who do not will face deportation. In the same half-year period, from January to July 2024, 258 people have already been deported from Bali, and 561 guests were denied entry at the border. The reasons vary, but most missed out on their vacation because they did not secure visas in advance and were not eligible for a visa on arrival due to their nationality (this option is not available to everyone).
Balinese officials say that the tightened supervision of tourists is not only for the benefit of local residents but also for the tourists themselves. These measures are taken to ensure that foreign guests can safely enjoy Bali and its beauty.
To make border crossing more comfortable, additional measures have been considered. Despite the need for more thorough document checks, automatic gates will not be discontinued. On the contrary, 30 more gates are being installed in the international arrivals terminal at Ngurah Rai Airport, with the expansion expected to be completed this month. Another 20 additional automatic gates are planned for the international departures terminal, bringing the total to 80 automatic gates at Ngurah Rai Airport.
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