Bali to cancel Russian, Ukrainian tourist visa on arrival amid crackdown on bad behaviour

Bali is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world for tourists looking for a relaxing, carefree paradise.

Australians in particular flock to the island for its incredible scenery, vibrant nightlife, affordable accommodation and cheap food, with around 91,000 travelers visiting the holiday hotspot in January 2023.

However, the tropical destination has also experienced an increasing number of tourists who flout rules and customs and wreak havoc among the locals.

Balinese officials announced they would crack down on inappropriately dressed and ill-behaved travellers, targeting Russian and Ukrainian tourists rather than the Aussie ‘Bali Bogan’.

Russians have become the island’s second largest group of visitors – behind Australians – after Bali reopened its borders and received an influx of travelers fleeing the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Russian travelers were initially welcomed in Bali until a spate of desecration and criminal behavior, including an influencer posing nude next to a sacred tree and tourists working illegally, were attributed to the nationality.

Speaking at a press conference in Denpasar this month, Bali Governor Wayan Koster said Russians and Ukrainians are the two nationalities responsible for the highest number of offenders among foreigners.

Koster urged the central government to abolish the visa on arrival for Russian and Ukrainian tourists, preventing them from entering the country.

Why these two countries? They come here because they are at war,’ Koster said.

‘Many of them don’t come to Bali for their free time, but to find comfort, also for work.’

The Visa on Arrival program allows foreign travelers from more than 80 countries to visit Indonesia for 30 days.

The visa costs about $50 and is for tourism only.

Violating the terms of the visa can result in fines of $100 per day, detention, deportation, or a ban from entering Indonesia for a specified period of time.

Some 22,500 Russian tourists visited Bali in January 2023, with nearly 60,000 flocking to the island following its post-Covid reopening.

Bali has also seen an influx of young men since Russia announced a partial mobilization of military reservists last September.

However, Ukrainians on the island claim they have been unfairly targeted as most of the crimes involve Russian tourists.

“Ukrainians respect Balinese law and culture…we don’t pose any risk to people in Bali…It is very sad that Ukrainians are put in the same (category) as Russians,” the Ukrainian man named Dmytro told CNN.

“When you read the news, you see how often it is Russians who break local laws and do not respect Balinese culture and tradition. So why should Ukrainians suffer if it’s not us who are causing problems in Bali?’

Spokesman Nyoman Astama of the Honorary Consulate of Ukraine in Bali told CNN about the 8,500 Ukrainians on the island, most of them women with various temporary and permanent visas.

“Ukrainians are not coming to Bali for vacation at the moment because our country is being invaded,” Ms. Astama said.

“The Ukrainians who come to Bali now are for family reunification (reasons) and are mostly women. We reaffirm that Ukrainians in Bali do not want to break the rules and regulations.

“It is imperative to enforce the law and implement the consequences for any violation of the law, as now expressed by the people of Bali.”

A police officer in Kuta said foreigners thought they were above the law and referred to incidents of drunken and disorderly behavior and criminal offenses committed by Russian tourists.

“When we get reports of a foreigner behaving badly, it’s almost always Russian,” the police officer said CNN.

‘Foreigners come to Bali, but they behave as if they are above the law. This has always been the case and it must finally stop now.’

In February, a Russian tourist was caught driving under the influence of alcohol after hitting a local motorcyclist, forcing the Balinese man to be hospitalized.

The holiday destination was also marred by a fatal motorcycle accident in January, when a Ukrainian visitor and a Russian tourist were both killed in a road accident.

In March, a specialized task force consisting of police and officials was set up to find and prosecute undocumented workers.

In its first week, the task force arrested six Russian tourists — three sex workers, two motorcycle riding instructors and a tennis instructor — and issued eviction notices after discovering they were working illegally.

A 28-year-old from Moscow was also deported in early March after authorities accused him of working as a photographer while holding an investment visa.

The officers paraded the Russian national in front of the local media with a black hood over his head – a practice reserved for suspected drug offenders.

A Russian tourist named Yuri sparked outrage on March 19 after he shared a photo of himself with his pants around his ankles on top of the sacred Mount Agung.

Yuri, who goes by the Instagram name Chila Brazila, deleted the image and apologized to officials in person and on social media.

He took part in a ceremonial sacrifice to the gods to show his repentance before being deported.

It comes after Russian influencer Alina Fazleeva was deported from Bali last year after posing nude next to a 700-year-old sacred banyan tree.

Ms Fazleeva and her husband, who took the photos in 2019, were deported and banned from entering Indonesia for six months.

Officials also announced plans to ban all foreign tourists from riding motorcycles in Bali and launched an official campaign to crack down on tourists’ behavior and dress.