Bali Earns $56.4m from Tourist Visas
20/12/2012
A visa on arrival counter at Bali airport
DENPASAR
Foreign tourists paid a collective US$56.4 million to enter Bali last year, a figure the local authorities predict will rise in 2012.
The large sum was derived from a record 2.75 million foreigners who came to Bali from 162 countries during 2011.
Most tourists pay $25 for a 30-day visa obtained on arrival at Bali’s main ports of entry, chiefly Ngurah Rai International Airport.
The visa brought in $50.58 million in 2012 and $32.57 million in 2009.
Citizens of Indonesia’s neighbours in the Southeast Asian region are exempt from paying visa-entry fees due to reciprocal agreements between governments.
However, it has not been specified where the Bali visa money ends up, and some industry observers have suggested it should be used to help build up Bali’s crumbling infrastructure and shoddy public transport system.
Source: theBaliTimes.com