Bali, Haven From War, Tires of Rude Guests

Last year, thousands of Russians and Ukrainians flocked to the Indonesian island of Bali. There they found refuge in a tropical paradise where locals warmly welcomed the Ukrainians fleeing the shelling and the Russians dodging the draft.

Then, a Russian influencer climbed a 700-year-old sacred tree, naked. A Russian street artist painted an antiwar mural on a private house. And Russians and Ukrainians have been involved in a string of motorbike collisions, some deadly.

Now, the Balinese people have had enough. Confronted with a barrage of complaints, the governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, announced last month that he asked the Indonesian government to revoke Russia’s and Ukraine’s access to the country’s visa-on-arrival program. He said many of those who have flocked to Bali to avoid the war have not only violated a number of local laws but have been seeking jobs while on short-term tourist visas. He also recently banned all foreigners from riding motorbikes, in response to the recent collisions.

I Wayan Pardika, 33, a Balinese tour guide, expressed his frustrations with the tourists: “For them, it is OK to be half naked, with only a bikini and driving around without a helmet. But they don’t see that it’s not so for the locals around them.”

The Balinese were initially sympathetic to the plight of the new émigrés. Many extended credit for car and home rentals to Russians, who found themselves cut off from the international payments system because of sanctions. After being sealed off for two years during the pandemic, they were eager for income.

But later, they discovered that many Russians had taken on jobs on the island — as surfing instructors and tour guides. Some started car and home rental businesses, violating the laws governing tourist visas and taking away from local income.

Many Balinese say that the authorities are struggling to cope with the sudden influx of Russians, who now make up the second-biggest group of tourists in Bali after Australians. Last year, 58,000 Russians and 7,000 Ukrainians visited Bali. This January alone, 22,500 Russians arrived in the province.

Indonesia’s visa-on-arrival program allows Russians, Ukrainians and citizens from 85 other countries to stay for an initial period of 30 days, and for another 30 days if they apply for an extension.

Sandiaga Uno, the minister for tourism, indicated that the government was not going to revoke the visa program. In an address last month, he said that the number of people causing trouble was “not too significant.” Last November, he told The New York Times that the government would help renew the tourist visas of those fleeing the war.

Still, many locals said they have had enough.

“We opened our doors, we opened our arms, and we welcomed them with a big smile,” said Niluh Djelantik, the founder of a luxury shoe brand in Bali. “But our kindness has been taken for granted.”