Bali has been regarded as a place that’s welcoming to tourists, especially to expats contributing to the local economy. But that inviting attitude from the Balinese people towards international visitors could be coming to an end following two high-profile deportations.
In December, Russian influencer Sergey Kosenko was deported for hosting “an illegal mass gathering of people” after filming himself driving a motorcycle off a pier into the ocean for his more than five million Instagram followers. Then there’s Kristen Gray: the American tourist who sparked the conversation regarding “checking your privilege” after tweeting that the island was “queer-friendly” and encouraging others to move there.
Indonesia is, in fact, not LGBTQ friendly, which is the premise of her deportation. Jamaruli Manihuruk of Indonesia’s Ministry of Law and Human Rights stated that her tweets “disseminated information disturbing to the public.”
These two incidents have raised some eyebrows among tourism leaders and government officials, which is why they’re looking to shake some things up a bit.
Indonesia’s Tourism and Creative Economy Minister, Sandiaga Uno, and Law and Human Rights Minister, Yasonna Laoly, recently announced they are considering a long-term visa for international visitors and digital nomads for up to five years. It would require a deposit of 2 billion Indonesian rupiah – approximately $142,000 per individual or 2.5 billion per family, as reported in The Independent.
The government hopes the new visa would increase the “quality” of tourists.