Tourists ruining ‘last paradise on Earth’ with public sex, illegal tattoo pop-ups

Bali residents are fed up with disrespectful tourists who dishonor their culture and disregard their laws.

Anti-foreigner sentiments have been growing as tourists have been caught working illegally, breaking traffic laws, smuggling drugs, and disrespecting sacred grounds, leaving native Indonesians feeling resentful.

Earlier this month, 10 tourists were mocked when they filed an official complaint claiming that the neighbor’s roosters crowed every morning, disrupting their sleep, Coconuts Bali reported.

The complaint fueled the rising annoyance of tourists, as it was interpreted by many locals as further proof of visitors’ indifference toward their culture and customs.

Bali’s tourism agency replied to the complaint, insisting that the tourists either learn to respect local culture or be deported should they file another complaint.  

“Keep as many chickens as you can,” I Wayan Koster, governor of Bali, encouraged locals. “If they do not like the crow of roosters, then they don’t have to come to Bali.

“We have no business dealing with such people.”

Balinese residents agree with their officials and have taken to calling out tourists for their illegal or dishonorable behavior on social media accounts, including the popular Instagram platform @moscow_cabang_bali.

The account has 32,500 followers who can submit information about foreigners who appear to be breaking the law or causing an unwanted scene.

“[Some foreigners] blatantly promote their business on social media while they’re illegal, and make their own ‘bubble’ within their community,” the owner of the account told VICE World News, requesting anonymity.

“I also feel the government does not have a presence, and these practices are just allowed to go on. It gives the impression that our law is toothless.”

The predominantly Hindu island within the majority Muslim country has been one of the top vacation destinations in the world for decades and relies heavily on tourism, but natives are fed up with visitors who run wild.

Since reopening to visitors and lifting COVID-19 restrictions, people have flocked to the beautiful island to visit, work from home and even escape wars.

Relations between Balinese natives have become the most strained with Russian tourists since their country invaded Ukraine.

Since then, nearly 60,000 Russians arrived in Bali last year and roughly 20,000 have been arriving each month since September, Aljazeera reported.

“I think Bali has always been seen … as the last paradise on Earth,” Ravinjay Kuckreja, a Ph.D. candidate studying Balinese culture at Denpasar State Hindu University, told VICE. “The community is very welcoming. The Balinese are very friendly and hospitable.  

“Sometimes foreigners don’t completely understand that Bali is still a home for people,” Kuckreja continued. “They see it as just this Disneyland that’s there for their enjoyment and their pleasure.”

According to Indonesia’s immigration laws, foreigners who break the law or cause public disturbance may be subject to deportation, but Balinese authorities are cracking down further.

Island officials have begun unveiling new proposed policies aimed at curbing tourists’ unacceptable behavior.

The government has announced plans to ban tourists from renting motorbikes, install large, multi-language billboards with guidelines on how to behave, and revoke visas-on-arrival privileges from Russian and Ukrainian visitors.

“We do not need naughty tourists in Bali,” Luhut Pandjaitan, the coordinating minister for maritime affairs and investment, said earlier this month.

“With careful research from the police and relevant authorities, we can make them persona non grata here.”