Bali tourists could have their visas revoked if Bali's governor gets his way. Photo / Sarah Pollok
After a string of incidents involving tourists on motorbikes, Bali’s Governor has had enough.
Speaking at a press conference, Governor Wayan Koster said foreigners should stay off motorbikes “to ensure quality and dignified tourism”.
Koster escalated the issue to the legal ministry and proposed tourists caught riding motorbikes have their visas revoked, Bloomberg reported.
Tourists who also misuse stay permits or illegally work should also have their visas revoked, he added.
As a destination that is known as a moped mecca, where tourists can zip around the streets on cheap rental motorbikes, it’s no surprise the news earned a strong response from tourists on social media.
“I visit Bali every year but if the scooters are banned I will not be coming back for sure,” wrote one person on Twitter.
Others claimed the decision was unfair, writing: “Imagine if we banned selective people from the main mode of transport”.
Some said the locals are the worst offenders when it comes to bad bike etiquette.
“Can’t speak for Bali, but here [in] Jakarta at a guess > 60% don’t wear a helmet. It does give the idea it’s all good,” they wrote.
On the other side of the argument, many people supported the Governor’s proposal, stating it was “about time” to place limits on the “arrogant” tourists.
“Foreign tourists on motorcycles are a menace on the roads, especially western tourists [who] lack nuances, alertness & awareness of driving and traversing the congested roads,” wrote one person on Twitter, who added that the art of nipping around on a motorcycle took time to learn.
This announcement follows the launch of a campaign targeting how tourists dress and behave while in Bali.
At this stage, the ban has just been proposed by the governor and would require several further steps in order to become an enforceable law.
If the proposal did go ahead, it wouldn’t just negatively impact tourists but also local businesses, one motorbike rental company operator said.
Forcing tourists to drive or rent cars would worsen traffic congestion too, he told local media outlet Coconuts.
“If the problem is unruly tourists on motorbikes, then the solution would be to tighten the requirements for them to rent and apply them uniformly,” he said.
“In addition to that, there should be regular checkpoints and strong law enforcement against traffic violators, both foreign and local.”
