The Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, has expressed concern about the increasing share of foreigners in the island's tourist business. According to him, local entrepreneurs are increasingly complaining about the domination of citizens from other countries in key sectors.
This primarily concerns small and medium-sized businesses. According to authorities, around 400 licenses have been issued in Badung for car rentals and travel agencies, with foreigners being the owners. Many of them, Koster notes, do not live on the island and have no offices but continue to operate through the Online Single Submission (OSS) system.
— Bali should not be a free market that displaces the local population, — the governor stated at an emergency meeting in Denpasar, attended by district heads and department leaders.
During the meeting, Koster announced his intention to review the current regulation and licensing system. He promised to issue a new circular soon, which should give preference to Balinese entrepreneurs.
In his opinion, the current situation leads to growing social inequality and weakens the local economy. He also warned that without measures, Bali could face economic and social regression within the next five years.
— Tourism in Bali is in crisis: traffic, waste, illegal villas, unlicensed drivers, problematic tourists. All of this requires systemic solutions. It should start with regulation and licensing, — he stressed.
On Koster's orders, a special group has been formed to investigate illegal enterprises of foreign nationals in Bali. It includes representatives of various agencies, including those regulating the island's tourist business. The result of the group's work should be a document governing the tourist and transport business, which will serve as the basis for further actions by law enforcement
Such initiatives by Koster are not always implemented. Previously, the governor proposed introducing tourist quotas, canceling visas on arrival for Russian and Ukrainian citizens, and banning bike rentals for foreigners. However, these measures either remained at the discussion stage or were partially implemented.
Sources: Tribune-Bali, Tribrata News
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