Latest news with #BaliIsland
News.com.au
07-07-2025
- News.com.au
‘Pay up': Warning for tourists headed to Bali
Bali made a record-breaking $87,000 in one day from the Tourism Tax Levy earlier this year, and with an influx of international visitors expected to descend on the island throughout 2025, the government is reminding tourists to 'pay up'. The island introduced the 150,000 IDR ($15) Tourism Tax Levy fee in February last year with plans to use the money to help protect Bali's culture and customs, as well as protecting the island's natural environment and sustainable tourism practices. Data from the Bali Provincial Government revealed the province received IDR 168 billion in revenue between January and June 2025 – about $A16 million. Bali governor Wayan Koster said on one record-breaking day, Bali received IDR 933 million – $A87,000. According to The Bali Sun, he told reporters if this trend continues, the potential annual revenue is estimated to reach IDR 340 billion. Aussies still make up a huge chunk of overseas visitors, with travel data shared by Ngurah Rai Immigration revealing 344,639 Aussies visited the island in January to March. However, while the island continues to attract plenty of tourists, in turn boosting its economy, not everyone is contributing to the tourism tax, with as few as 35 per cent of visitors having paid the mandatory fee by the end of the first year of the policy. According to Time magazine, Mr Koster said those who fail to pay the fee may face consequences ranging from being denied entry to attractions, fines, or even deportation. He said he is working with a range of stakeholders, including in the hotel sector, to ensure the funds are spent in ways that benefit Bali residents, the environment, and tourists. Tourists are encouraged to pay the fee before arriving to Bali via Love Bali – part of the official government website. Travellers will need their passport number and email address handy. There is also the option to select 'Group' if travelling with family or friends. Each member will then be emailed a unique QR code. The payment can also be made on arrival at Bali's main airport – I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. However, some have complained it adds an extra step in the arrivals process. The goal of the tourism tax is to help the government 'preserve the integrity and balance of Bali's nature, its people, and their culture'.
South China Morning Post
03-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
Bali ferry sinking: 4 dead, 30 missing after boat capsizes in Indonesia
Rescuers continue to search for at least 30 people on Thursday after a ferry sank in rough seas on its way to the resort island of Bali, Indonesia. According to local authorities, at least four people are dead, dozens are unaccounted for, and 31 survivors have been plucked from the water so far. The vessel, KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya, was carrying 65 passengers and crew. It sank at midnight on Wednesday as it sailed to the popular holiday destination from Indonesia's main island, Java. 'The ferry tilted and immediately sank,' survivor Eka Toniansyah told reporters at a Bali hospital. 'Most of the passengers were from Indonesia. I was with my father. My father is dead.' Indonesia's national search and rescue agency chief Mohammad Syafii told a news conference on Thursday that 31 survivors had been found. 'Four people died, 30 people are still being searched for,' he said, adding that the national agency sent a helicopter to help the effort. Southeast Asia: Tensions escalate between Cambodia and Thailand. President Prabowo Subianto, who was on a trip to Saudi Arabia, ordered an immediate emergency response, cabinet secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said in a statement on Thursday. He said the cause of the accident was 'bad weather'. Java-based Surabaya search and rescue agency head Nanang Sigit, who had earlier put the total number of missing at 38, said efforts to reach the doomed vessel were initially hampered by adverse weather. Waves as high as 2.5 metres (8 feet) with 'strong winds and strong currents' had affected the rescue operation, he said, adding that conditions have since improved. A rescue team of at least 54 personnel, including members from the navy and police, was dispatched along with inflatable rescue boats. A bigger vessel was later sent from Surabaya City to assist with search efforts. Nanang said rescuers would follow currents and expand the search area if there were still people unaccounted for by the end of the day. A man takes picture of the passenger list of the ferry accident at Gilimanuk Port, Bali, Indonesia. Photo: EPA 'For today's search, we are still focusing on search above the water where initial victims were found,' the Surabaya search and rescue chief said. The ferry's manifest showed 53 passengers and 12 crew members, he said, but rescuers were still assessing if there were more people on board than the manifest showed. It is common in Indonesia for the actual number of passengers on a boat to differ from the manifest. The ferry crossing from Ketapang port in Java's Banyuwangi regency to Bali's Gilimanuk port – one of the busiest in Indonesia – is around 5km as the crow flies and takes around one hour. It is often used by people crossing between the islands by car. Four of the known survivors saved themselves by using the ferry's lifeboat and were found in the water early on Thursday, the Surabaya rescue agency said. It said the ferry was also transporting 22 vehicles, including 14 trucks. It was unclear if any foreigners were on board when the ferry sank. Marine accidents are a regular occurrence in Indonesia, a Southeast Asian archipelago of around 17,000 islands, in part due to lax safety standards and sometimes due to bad weather. In March, a boat carrying 16 people capsized in rough waters off Bali, killing an Australian woman and injuring at least one other person. A ferry carrying more than 800 people ran aground in shallow waters off East Nusa Tenggara province in 2022 and remained stuck for two days before being dislodged, with no one reported injured. In 2018, more than 150 people drowned when a ferry sank in one of the world's deepest lakes on Sumatra Island.
Al Bawaba
03-07-2025
- General
- Al Bawaba
Indonesia ferry sinks leaving 4 dead, 30 missing
Published July 3rd, 2025 - 06:38 GMT ALBAWABA - Indonesia's rescue authorities said that at least four people were confirmed dead after a ferry sank in rough seas on its way to Bali Island. Moreover, the rescue authorities added that 31 people were saved, while 30 others are still missing at sea. Rescuers said that Indonesia's ferry was carrying 65 people and crew before it sank at midnight on Wednesday as it sailed from the island of Java heading to Bali. "The ferry tilted and immediately sank," said Eka Toniansyah, who was one of the passengers on the ferry, at a Bali hospital. Eka Toniansyah added, "Most of the passengers were from Indonesia. I was with my father. My father is dead." Indonesia's national search and rescue agency chief, Mohammad Syafii, said on Thursday that 31 people were rescued. "Four people died, so 30 people are still being searched for," he said, adding that the national agency dispatched a helicopter to the scene to assist in rescue operations. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Washington Post
18-06-2025
- Washington Post
Indonesian police detain 3 Australian men suspected of killing a fellow national in Bali
DENPASAR, Indonesia — Indonesian police say they are detaining three suspects for murder after an Australian tourist was shot to death at a villa in the resort island of Bali. 'We have successfully arrested three suspects last night,' Bali Police Chief Daniel Adityajaya told reporters in Denpasar, the provincial capital. 'The three suspects are Australian men and they are now being held and questioned for further investigation,' he said.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
An Australian man was shot to death at a villa on the tourist island of Bali, police say
DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — An Australian man was shot to death at a villa on the tourist island of Bali, police say.
