Aussie tourists in Bali face big changes as Indonesia announces new cashless system
Australian tourists to Bali and Indonesia are about to face a big change as the country moves towards a new system of doing just about everything.
Bank Indonesia announced that they will launch a new digital payment system for tourists traveling to the countries’ destinations as they begin to move towards a cashless society.
New Indonesia Tourist Travel Package is being introduced at Bali’s Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport; Passengers can set up and access Indonesian SIM cards, which include mobile data and phone numbers as well as chip-based electronic cash, through an e-wallet.
This access will also help tourists access the Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) system, which enables cashless payments through QR code scanning and prepaid e-wallets. Bali Sun.
Bank Indonesia Deputy Governor Fillianingsh Hendarta said the new Indonesia Tourist Travel Package will provide “ease of transaction”, which is “an essential part of the tourist experience in Bali”.
“These three initiatives aim to strengthen Indonesia’s position as a tourist-friendly country and increasingly prepare for a cashless and digital tourism system,” said Hendarta.
A statement from Bank Indonesia said: “As a world-class tourism destination, ease of transaction is a very important part of the tourist experience in Bali. To this end, Bank Indonesia, together with other stakeholders, has launched three important initiatives to strengthen the digital payment ecosystem in the tourism sector.
“Bank Indonesia, together with its stakeholders, is assisting foreign tourists by establishing a Tourism Information Center at Ngurah Rai International Airport as a service point for newcomers to Bali.
“Through this service, tourists can receive an Indonesia Tourist Travel Package for digital transactions and a QRIS Nusantara Tourism Guide, which includes destination information and the use of QRIS at various tourist attractions.”
“With the support of various parties, international tourists’ experience in Bali will become more convenient and practical. We hope that they can easily carry out many transactions, from hotel payments to shopping, relaxing with coffee and entering tourist attractions.”
“Smoother transactions create opportunities for businesses and contribute to more inclusive and sustainable local economic activities,” the bank said in its statement. The statement was included.
Although cash is still an important element of daily life in Bali for locals and visitors, having access to an e-SIM or local SIM card, even a roaming-enabled SIM, will also assist in accessing apps and services.
Indonesia is in the process of redefining the rupiah to create a simpler numerical system for its currency, and the initial goal is to have this revaluation transition completed by 2027.
The revaluation process will remove three zeros from the rupiah, but the value will remain the same.
For example, the largest banknote, 100,000 IDR, becomes 100 IDR, and 50,000 IDR becomes only 50 IDR, and so on.
This means Australian tourists coming to Bali can no longer walk around feeling like instant millionaires.
