Big change for Aussies heading to Bali
Australians heading to Bali will face a new change to help make their experience more seamless, but it might come as a surprise to tourists.
Aussies heading to Bali will face a new change as the Indonesian government introduces a cashless system.
Cash has always been the most popular payment method in the tourist hotspot, however, Bank Indonesia has announced it is launching a new digital payment system for tourists travelling to top destinations in Indonesia like Bali.
The new Indonesia Tourist Travel Pack is being rolled out from Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport allowing tourists to set up and access Indonesian SIM cards with mobile data and phone numbers, as well as chip-based electronic money through an e-wallet.
“Ease of transactions is an important part of the tourist experience in Bali,” Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia, Fillianingsh Hendarta said, according to The Bali Sun publication.
This access will also help tourists funnel into the Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) system, which enables cashless payments made through QR-code scanning and prepaid e-wallets, the publication reported.
Mr Hendarta explained that as a “world-class tourist destination”, ease of transactions is a crucial part of the tourist experience in Bali.
“To that end, Bank Indonesia, along with other stakeholders, has launched three key initiatives to strengthen the digital payment ecosystem in the tourism sector.”
“Bank Indonesia (BI), along with stakeholders, is assisting foreign tourists by establishing a Tourism Information Center at Ngurah Rai International Airport as a service point for those newly arrived in Bali.”
He reiterated that through this service, tourists can obtain an Indonesia Tourist Travel Pack for digital transactions and a QRIS Nusantara Tourism Guidebook containing destination information and QRIS usage at various tourist attractions.
“The hope is that they [tourists] can easily conduct transactions, from paying for hotels, shopping, relaxing with coffee, to entering tourist destinations,” he added.
The aim is to help make transactions smoother for both local businesses and tourists.
Meanwhile, while the country pushes for a cashless society, cash remains an essential element of day-to-day life in Bali for locals and visitors – so ensure you have some on you for backup.
