Bali, one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, will soon be cracking down on foreign visitors renting scooters and motorbikes.
The news comes after over 150 foreigners were caught violating traffic laws in just a month. Videos of unruly tourists flouting the rules of the road have been circulating online, with one clip showing a male tourist crashing his motorbike into a car, while another shows an Aussie expat yelling at police after being caught riding her scooter without a helmet.
The proposed ban was announced by Bali’s governor, Wayan Koster, at a press conference on Monday.
“So borrowing or renting [motorbikes] would no longer be allowed. That may be implemented starting in 2023, or after the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr Koster said.
Bloomberg reports that “Koster has sought the legal ministry’s support to let Bali revoke visas if any foreign tourists are found riding motorbikes, or if they’re found committing other wrongdoings like illegally working or misusing stay permits.”
Under the new rule, foreign travellers will no longer be able to rent motorbikes and will need to hire cars from travel agencies or tourism services instead. According to Mr Koster, the ban is necessary because tourists are “disorderly and misbehave”. He also claimed that the new rule will help ensure “quality and dignified tourism” in Bali.
It is not yet clear how the ban will be enforced, but Mr Koster has sought the legal ministry’s support to allow officers to revoke Bali visas from tourists caught breaking traffic laws.
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The move has received mixed reactions from locals and tourists alike. While some believe the ban is necessary to protect tourists from themselves and prevent accidents, others argue that it will hurt the tourism industry and limit the freedom of foreign visitors to explore Bali’s beauty on two wheels.
For more on this topic, follow the Travel Observer.
The writer used AI tools to publish part of this article. The Brag Media relies on journalists to fact check & edit all articles regardless of any AI tools used.
