JAKARTA: An Instagrammer in Bali was kicked out after riding his motorcycle on a jetty in the sea.

Two other influencers who flouted COVID-19 restrictions by relying on face masks in an attempt to enter a supermarket were also forced to leave the country.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been several high-profile examples of foreign influencers misbehaving on the resort island. Reports of this brash and disrespectful behavior angered some residents of Bali and even Indonesians in other parts of the country.

“By doing these stunts, these influencers encourage others to do the same. Not only do they give Bali a bad name, but they also endanger others with their behaviors, ”Bali-based designer Niluh Djelantik told CNA.

University student Putu Aryana added, “Bali has already had many cases of foreigners behaving badly, but behaving badly during a pandemic when everyone is in pain is simply unacceptable. What is more alarming is that some of these people were influencers with millions of followers. “

Authorities are committed to adopting a zero tolerance approach to misbehaving tourists.

COVID-19 OFFENSES, ADVERSE BEHAVIOR

Although the visa-free and visa-on-arrival programs from Indonesia are still suspended, it is possible for tourists to enter after applying for a visa from their respective country prior to arrival.

According to the Indonesian Ministry of Justice, 160 people were deported from Bali last year for various offenses.

This was a slight decrease from 2019, when 165 people were deported from Bali. However, Bali welcomed 6.3 million foreign tourists that year. In 2020, due to the pandemic, there were only 1 million international travelers in Bali.

So far this year, authorities on the island have deported more than 60 people.

This year’s figure included a Taiwanese YouTuber with three million subscribers. Josh Paler Lin, along with Russian influencer Leia Se, tricked a supermarket security guard into letting them enter the premises with drawn masks.

Before their deportation, the couple posted an apology video online. “The intention of making this video was not at all to disrespect or urge everyone not to wear a mask,” Mr. Lin said. “I made this video to entertain people because I’m a content creator and it’s my job to entertain people.”

In January, Russian influencer with five million Instagram followers Sergey Kosenko was kicked out of Bali after posting videos of him and his friends partying without following COVID-19 protocols. He also posted videos of him and a friend throwing a motorbike over a dock and into the sea.

He apologized on his Instagram account but did not remove the videos.

Also in January, immigration officials deported Kristen Gray, an American, after sparking criticism on Twitter for promoting an eBook she was selling that taught people how to get around strict regulations banning foreigners to surrender during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ms Gray wrote a week after her deportation that she made a mistake in writing and posting the thread on social media. “I’m sorry the Balinese for encouraging travel to the island during this time,” she wrote on a Bali-based expat community Facebook page.

The latest case involved a Canadian yoga instructor, Christopher Kyle Martin, who promoted a “Tantric Full Body Orgasm” course online. He was kicked out on May 9 after the promotion went viral on Indonesian social media, irritating some conservative groups.

Mr. Martin apologized at a press conference hosted by the Bali government on the day of his deportation.

With 80% of Bali’s economy relying directly or indirectly on tourism, this means that for the past year the island has been hit by a recession, according to the Indonesian Statistics Agency. Bali’s economy, the agency noted, has contracted 9% to 12% every four months.

At least 75,000 people have lost their jobs, while many others have been forced to suffer severe pay cuts. To keep your head above water, hotels are offering massive discounts to attract tourists.

Azril Azahari, tourism analyst and chairman of the Indonesian Tourism Intellectual Association (ITIA), said the massive discounts have attracted foreigners affected by the pandemic and looking for cheap accommodation.

In particular, foreigners seeking to escape stricter COVID-19 regulations in their home countries have been drawn to Bali, he noted.

“The government has encouraged people to come to Indonesia, but the majority of tourists are still hesitant to travel, especially to a country where the pandemic is still raging,” Azahari told CNA.

“This leaves us with people who don’t take the pandemic seriously and those who don’t care about health protocols.”

READ: Vaccines effective against COVID-19 variants but overseas travel still unsafe, WHO says

Indonesia has a total workload of 1.7 million people with a death toll of over 48,000, making it the worst-affected country in Southeast Asia.

Bali, with 4.3 million inhabitants, has recorded more than 46,000 cases of COVID-19 and nearly 1,500 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

The government had hoped to fully open Bali to international travelers in August 2020 and resume its visa waiver and visa on arrival programs. Currently, it is planned to vaccinate 3 million Balinese, or about 70% of the island’s population, before the reopening.

CALLS FOR STRONGER EXECUTION

Residents called for tougher enforcement measures against unruly foreigners.

Among them, Komang Indrawati, who works in the hotel industry. “There are a lot of foreigners who don’t wear masks and disobey the rules of social distancing. We have been very lenient with them. It is time for the government to crack down, ”she told CNA.

Mr Albert Chandra, who owns an arts and crafts business, said he saw foreigners who do not wear masks on beaches, in public places or on motorcycles.

“They don’t seem to care about the pandemic and every time locals tried to remind them they got angry. The government needs to get tough on these people and not just focus on the cases that have gone viral, ”he said.

“We are very worried about this situation. This is why most locals tend to avoid seeing these strangers who don’t follow health protocols because we don’t know if they’ve been here for a long time or if they just came back from a COVID hotspot- 19.

Mr. Azahari of ITIA added, “If our application is weak, there are bound to be more foreigners who perform similar stunts and bad behavior in the future.”

READ: Bali’s unemployed turn to odd jobs, hard work as COVID-19 ravages tourism sector

Mdm Djelantik, the designer, said with the pandemic hitting Bali’s economy hard, some locals have struggled to follow health protocols in hopes that the pandemic will be over soon.

“We even refrained from carrying out religious activities that involve a lot of people,” she said. “And here are these foreigners who think they can break the law and get away with it.”

Indonesians, including Mdm Djelantik, have reposted videos and posts made by these law-breaking influencers in the hope that they would attract the attention of authorities.

But she has also received her fair share of criticism. “I have been called a moral police, an immigration spy, an attention seeker and so on. They think I’m going to chase the tourists away. That does not bother me. They are entitled to their opinions. All I want is everyone to show respect for the rules of this country, ”she said.

“WE WILL NOT SHOW ANY TOLERANCE”: HEAD OF THE TOURIST AGENCY

In the meantime, the authorities have pledged to take stronger action.

Responding to questions from CNA, I Putu Astawa, the head of the Bali tourism agency, said police, military and law enforcement officials will be deployed to monitor visitors’ behavior.

“We will not show any tolerance. These people are hampering our efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. Our task force has worked tirelessly to manage the impact of COVID-19 and these people are undoing the good work we have done, ”he said.

“They set a bad example for others, especially since some of these people are influencers. Moreover, they do not follow the rules and regulations of this country. We must show that we do not tolerate such behavior and that the law applies to everyone. “

READ: Without tourists from Singapore, resorts in Bintan are getting creative to make ends meet amid COVID-19

At a press conference on May 10, Bali Governor I Wayan Koster vowed to crack down on foreigners who violated health protocols as well as those who do not uphold Indonesian standards and values.

“As governor of Bali, I will be more firm in taking action against foreigners who have behaved badly in recent times. We will no longer tolerate this kind of action, ”he said.

Mr Koster said that while the resort island is anxiously awaiting the resumption of its tourism sector which has been hit hard by the pandemic, he hopes all visitors will abide by Indonesian law and customs.

“There will be no more tourists whose behavior does not respect the law and the values ​​observed by the people of Bali,” he said.

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