Foreign tourists to pay $15 Bali tourist tax from this week

The $15 tax was first proposed after a string of incidents involving rowdy or disrespectful foreign tourists went viral on social media.

Foreign tourists relax on Kuta Beach on Bali. Picture: AFP

Foreign tourists entering Bali will be charged Rp150,000 ($A15) from Wednesday to fund the island’s “cultural and environmental preservation” following increased complaints from locals over unruly tourists.

Bali authorities announced the so-called foreign levy program on Monday, with acting governor Sang Made Mahendra Jaya saying that the fund would be used for cultural preservation and environmental issues.

“This levy is for the protection of Bali’s culture and environment,” Mr Mahendra Jaya said.

Bali’s provincial government had limited funding for programs such as the protection and restoration of palm leaf manuscripts, cultural sites and arts, and also struggled to fund initiatives to address waste issues, reforestation and spatial planning, he added.

The island’s beaches are also plagued by seasonal trash dumps from changing currents and from rubbish washed down local rivers by communities upstream.