Antara, Jakarta – Former Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, emphasized the importance of maintaining security and order in the tourism sector, particularly in Bali. Therefore, he believes that firm actions need to be taken against potential tourists who could tarnish the tourism industry's image.
"If Bali is not good, then people will also be reluctant to visit Indonesia. So, Bali must be orderly," said Luhut after attending the Coordination Meeting for the Expansion of Digitalized Social Assistance Pilot based on Public Digital Infrastructure in Denpasar, Bali on Thursday, February 26, 2026, as quoted from Antara.
He then addressed the need to deport tourists of poor quality. "Those causing problems related to drugs, fights, and investments that affect micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) here, we will just deport them," Luhut stated.
Luhut is confident that Bali's tourism charm will not diminish despite losing 10,000 misbehaving foreign tourists. He believes Bali will be even more loved if its quality, including its tourists, improves.
To ensure the sustainability of tourism on this Island of the Gods, Luhut emphasized the importance of integrated infrastructure and addressed issues related to water and waste. To address waste issues specifically, he announced that construction of a waste-to-energy processing plant will begin next week. "So, we hope that 18 months from April, Bali will begin the process of its waste-to-energy," he said.
Furthermore, Luhut believes that the integrated digitalization currently being developed by the government can resolve issues arising from land conversion in Bali. "Issues of order, land conversion will no longer be trifled with through this digitalization," said the man who also serves as the Chair of the Government's Digital Transformation Acceleration Committee.
Currently, Government Technology, or the digitalization of government processes based on AI, is focused on digitizing social assistance and integrates more than 27,000 government-owned applications. Later on, the digitalization of business permits and the integration of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) will also become the main agenda for the committee.
Therefore, Luhut said that adjustments will also be made to the land conversion data collection, so that all developments in Bali will be orderly. "And how we will create some form of penalty, the solution will be found. So, from now on, the Governor must be reminded that if land conversions are not done properly, there will be adjustments here and there," he added.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2089441/luhut-urges-deportation-of-unruly-tourists-in-bal