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JAKARTA: Bali authorities have stepped up checks on foreigners entering the Indonesian resort island in response to a surge in tourist arrivals this year.
In the first seven months of 2024, the number of international tourists reached 3.89 million, an increase of nearly 1 million over the same period last year.
Pramella Yusnida Pasaribu, director of the Bali Ministry of Justice and Human Rights regional office, said the stepped-up monitoring applies to all foreign tourists arriving at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport.
“We are committed to ensuring strict immigration control to maintain security and order in the Bali region,” local news platform Antara quoted Ms Pramela as saying in a statement on Thursday (Aug 1).
She said the enhanced security measures include a more detailed check of travel documents, with immigration officials looking more carefully at passports, visas and residence permits.
To facilitate monitoring of the movements of foreigners, the Integrated Immigration Information System has further strengthened controls.
Antara said immigration checks also integrate facial recognition technology to strengthen border control management.
In addition, Bali Immigration works closely with relevant agencies such as the police, customs and tourism board to improve the effectiveness of screening.
Antara reported that since March 6, 2024, the Bali Immigration Department has installed 30 automatic gates or automatic immigration facilities at the international arrival terminal of Ngurah Rai Airport.
Immigration checks at automated gates combine facial recognition technology with Border Control Management (BCM).
Another 20 automatic doors will be installed at the international departure terminal, bringing the total number of automatic doors at Ngurah Rai Airport to 80.
According to data from the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, the number of foreign tourists visiting Bali from January to July 2024 reached 3.89 million, up from 2.9 million in the same period in 2023.
Among the inbound tourists, Australian tourists accounted for the largest number at 877,329, followed by Indian tourists at 328,767 and Chinese tourists at 278,329.
There were also large numbers of tourists from the United Kingdom, South Korea, the United States, France, Malaysia, Singapore and Germany.
Ms. Pramela also stressed that her office actively educates the public on the importance of maintaining safety and order, including reporting any suspicious foreigners.
She urged all foreigners to abide by Indonesia’s laws and regulations.
According to data released by his office, a total of 258 foreigners were deported from Bali between January and July 19, 2024.
In April 2024, the Ngurah Rai Immigration Department reported that it denied entry to 318 foreigners between January and March 2024, mainly because they did not have Indonesian visas.
Other reasons for being denied entry include having a criminal record or having a passport valid for less than six months.
In 2023, 340 foreigners were deported, an increase from 188 in 2022.
The influx of foreign tourists has also boosted Bali’s non-tax state revenue (PNBP), with the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office collecting about IDR 963.4 billion (USD 60 million) in non-tax state revenue in the first half of 2024.
This is an increase of about 8% from Rs 894.7 billion in the same period of 2023.
The bulk of this revenue comes from visa fees, which account for about 90% of total revenue and about half of the 1.5 trillion rupee target for 2024.
Despite stricter immigration checks, Ms Pramella assured that Bali remains safe and comfortable for tourists.
“We want to ensure that every tourist who comes to Bali can enjoy the natural beauty and culture of Bali safely and comfortably,” she said.
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