DENPASAR, DEWATA.NEWS – Bali Governor Wayan Koster received United States Ambassador to Indonesia Peter Mark Haymond at the Bali Governor’s Office in Denpasar on Tuesday (Feb 24, 2026), where discussions focused on tourism, security cooperation, and plans to open a US consular office in Bali.
Ambassador Haymond conveyed the US government’s plan to establish a consulate office in Bali to enhance services for American citizens on the island. He noted that approximately 270,000 US nationals visited Bali last year, and around 80 percent of Americans traveling to Indonesia chose Bali as their primary destination.
To support growing demand, the US government is also recruiting additional personnel to assist with consular services, including emergency response for incidents such as accidents involving American citizens.
The ambassador stated that most American visitors to Bali are law-abiding tourists. However, he acknowledged increasing global concerns related to cross-border scam operations in Southeast Asia.
He cited countries such as Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia as examples of regional scam hubs, noting that American citizens reportedly suffered losses totaling USD 10 billion last year due to fraudulent activities. He added that Indonesia also faces similar risks, including digital scam centers targeting Indonesian-speaking victims.
For this reason, the US government continues to strengthen cooperation with the Indonesian National Police to combat transnational crime, particularly in major tourism destinations.
Responding to the discussion, Governor Koster expressed appreciation for the continued cooperation between the two governments. He said the steady increase in American tourist arrivals, which ranked seventh among international markets in 2025, reflects not only tourism growth but also strengthening bilateral relations.
“As governor, I have an interest in maintaining this good relationship for the benefit of the people of Bali,” Koster said.
The governor highlighted Bali’s unique position as a small island representing only around 0.1 percent of Indonesia’s land area, with a population of approximately 4.4 million people. Despite its size, Bali maintains a strong cultural foundation across 1,594 traditional villages, with living traditions, rituals, and local wisdom forming the island’s main global attraction.
In 2025, Bali recorded 7.1 million international arrivals, the highest in its tourism history. Koster said tourism contributes approximately 66 percent of Bali’s economy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the island’s economy contracted by 9.3 percent due to the tourism collapse. However, Bali has since rebounded, recording economic growth of 5.82 percent, the highest in seven years, ranking fifth nationally.
Bali’s per capita income reached IDR 72.66 million, while the poverty rate stood at 1.45 percent, among the lowest in Indonesia.
Despite these achievements, Koster acknowledged that Bali’s global popularity brings challenges, including waste management, traffic congestion, security concerns, problematic foreign visitors, narcotics cases, prostitution, land-use conversion, and nominee-based land ownership practices.
To address these issues, the provincial government is implementing a long-term 100-year development roadmap centered on cultural preservation, including strengthening the role of traditional villages.
The government is also developing waste-to-energy facilities, expanding infrastructure over the next five years to reduce congestion, and introducing environmentally friendly modern transportation systems. Regulations aimed at improving tourism governance are being prepared to ensure quality tourism and better visitor management.
Bali has also implemented a foreign tourist levy of IDR 150,000 per visit as a direct contribution to environmental and cultural preservation.
“Going forward, Bali’s tourism will be managed with stronger direction to ensure it is quality-driven, dignified, and provides real contributions to both the government and the people of Bali,” Koster said.