Bali asks airlines to make PA announcements to push its tourist tax
November 28, 2025
The Bali Provincial Government is urging international airlines to take a more active role in publicising and supporting its Foreign Tourist Levy, after revealing that only five of the 37 airlines flying to Denpasar are informing passengers about the mandatory tax.
The levy, introduced in February 2024, requires all foreign visitors to pay 150,000 IDR (around $10 USD) before entering Bali. However, the system is struggling: by the end of 2024, only 32% of international tourists had paid, according to figures reported by NusaBali.
Bali wants airlines to make onboard announcements to promote the tourist tax
Local officials told the newspaper that most carriers do not mention the tax during the booking process, at check-in, or on board. They singled out airlines that “have not assisted in socialising the Foreign Tourist Levy to passengers”, noting that compliance has stalled because visitors simply are unaware the tax exists.
The government wants airlines to include the levy in pre-departure communications, display payment links on their websites, and, crucially, announce the tax over the cabin PA before landing.
Aviation is seen as the missing link. Because the national government controls immigration, Bali cannot enforce payment at the border and cannot require immigration officers to check receipts. Without airline support, officials say, the province has no meaningful way to ensure visitors know they must pay.
Bali to offer commission to hotels and tour operators who collect the tax
With airlines slow to act, the Bali government has revised its regulations to push responsibility further into the tourism sector.
Regional Regulation No. 6/2023 has been updated to Regulation No. 2/2025, allowing hotels, tour operators, and travel agents to collect the levy in exchange for a 3% commission. Officials hope this will “expand information channels” and boost compliance “from the start of the trip”.
The province is also working with Jakarta to integrate its Love Bali payment system with the national All Indonesia platform. This would link the tax to the immigration arrival process, although immigration officers still would not police the levy directly.
The local Bali government stated it will continue to work with the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation to ensure airliners operating flights to Bali’s Denpasar support the implementation of the tax.
Bali is not alone, New Zealand is another place to have recently increased its tourism tax.
Scam websites charging inflated fees continue to confuse travellers
Travellers attempting to pay online also face a growing number of scam sites masquerading as the official payment portal, some charging three times the correct amount. These sites frequently advertise on Google to appear above the legitimate government website.
Although tourists can pay on arrival, few are ever checked. Airports have no dedicated levy checkpoints, and personnel are not authorised to enforce payment.
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Bali collected IDR 330 billion ($20 million) from the tax in early 2025, short of its IDR 380 billion ($23 million) target. Officials say airline participation is now crucial to closing the gap, especially as Bali enters its peak tourist season.
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