DENPASAR – The rise of disrespectful behavior, criminal activities, and violations of the law by foreign tourists in Bali has been highlighted on social media and news platforms.
Recently, a syndicate of drug producers was uncovered – with the culprit being a foreigner who misused their tourist visa.
These social problems in the tourism sector can be transformed into severe security and public order disturbances.
It was stated by the Chairman of Indonesian Regional Representative Council (DPD RI) AA LaNyalla Mahmud Mattalitti, who then strongly appealed to the relevant parties to seek maximum mitigation and protection of tourist destinations.
“This must become a concern for all tourism stakeholders. The case of tourists becoming narcotics dealers in Bali – this is an irony of the tourism industry. As Bali is one of the icons of world tourism, the negative impact caused is certainly very large. Tourism is very sensitive, the slightest disturbance can immediately have an impact everywhere,” he said upon arrival in Denpasar, Bali, Tuesday (28/5), to attend an FGD on culture.
The FGD he is about to attend is planned to be held tomorrow, Wednesday (29/5), at the representative office of DPD RI Bali Province, with the theme, “Culture as the National Identity: Global Challenges, Cultural Resilience, and Pancasila”.
The former chairman of the East Java Chamber of Commerce and Industry continued, the impact of negative behavior that leads to criminal acts by foreign tourists in Bali can create a feeling of insecurity in tourist destinations.
“The long-term impact is a decrease in the destination comfort and safety index, which in turn can reduce the number of tourist visits. Another bad thing is the damage to the image and reputation of Bali’s tourist destinations,” LaNyalla said.
The next negative impact, he added, is of course the economic problem. If the number of tourists from the upper middle class decreases, then economic activity will also be affected.
This is due to decreased purchasing power due to reduced large transactions. In the end, who lost it the most are Bali and Indonesia.
The senator from East Java suggested strengthening security and supervision. This step can be carried out by increasing the quality and quantity of security personnel in destinations and the presenting of a tourism call center.
“The massive use of CCTV, I think, is absolutely necessary. Other preventive efforts are training and collaboration of all tourism stakeholders,” he continued.
LaNyalla also asked relevant parties to prioritise education and foster awareness of tourists.
He agreed that Indonesia must pursue the target of increasing the number of foreign tourists. However, on the one hand, good regulation of foreign tourists must also be done – as some other countries have done.
As is known, many posts on social media and mainstream media platforms are related to the bad behaviour of foreign tourists.
In fact, a number of netizens said Bali was being colonised and harassed by foreign tourists.
The tourists behave irresponsibly on the road, wear disrespectful clothes, commit adultery in public, and even defile Balinese places of worship.
