ISLAMABAD/BALI: Indonesian island Bali plans to ban foreign tourists from using motorbikes after emergence of several cases involving violation of traffic laws.
“You should not roam around the island using motorbikes, without wearing shirts or clothes, no helmet, and even without a license,” Governor I Wayan Koster said.
Tourists will instead get around on vehicles offered by travel agents. The plan has been divisive as tourism has been recovering from losses caused by Covid. According to local police statistics, more than 171 foreign people broke traffic laws from late February to early March. Moreover, some visitors utilise fraudulent license plates.
“If you are a tourist, then behave like a tourist,” stated the governor. Foreign visitors frequently rent motorbikes when visiting Bali instead of using the island’s underdeveloped public transportation system. The two-wheelers are a practical choice for navigating busy streets and charming side streets.”
The proposed ban would be implemented via a regional law sometime this year, but how it would be enforced is still being determined.
Varying opinion on the planned ban
One Ukrainian tourist (who wished not to be named) said foreigners should be “given the freedom” to ride motorbikes as long as they provide valid licenses.
She told BBC Indonesia, “We don’t use the services of a travel agent because we want to be independent and like to do things ourselves so we can feel the atmosphere.”
Meanwhile, Finnish tourist Kristo who supports the proposed ban said “Many riders act like they are drunk and do not wear helmets. That is very dangerous,” he told the Indonesian news website Detik.’
However, some operators have also raised concerns over the planned ban’s impact on business. Dedek Warjana, the chairperson of Bali’s motorbike rental association, said the proposal needed to be timelier, and authorities should act on specific violations instead of setting a blanket ban.
Nyoman Sukma Arida, a lecturer in tourism at Bali’s University of Udayana, condemned the proposed new rule, saying such a ban could also tarnish Indonesia’s reputation in the eyes of other countries. He said the growing number of traffic violations also points to more vigorous enforcement of existing laws by the local authorities.
He suggested strengthening the vehicle rental system by ensuring those who rent have valid driver’s licenses. He said that, after all, not every traveler misbehaves.
The governor has also announced a plan to revoke visa-on-arrival permits for tourists from Russia and Ukraine because of misconduct. He said that many people from the two countries have “flocked to Bali” amid the war but are not abiding by local regulations.
In the past week, authorities detained several citizens from Russia for violating their residence permits, while some of them misused visitors’ visas and set up businesses.
Before the Covid pandemic, tourism contributed 60 percent to Bali’s annual GDP. According to the statistics bureau of Bali, Australia was the most significant contributor of foreign tourists to Bali in January 2023, with more than 91,000 Australians landing in the island. Russia took the second spot, with about 22,000 citizens visiting the province that month.
