Bali’s government wants people working as guides without permits to pay—literally.
The regional council is revising Regulation No. 5 of 2008, upping the fine from Rp 10 million all the way up to Rp 50 million, according to the chairman of the DPRD Special Committee for Tour Guides, AA Ngurah Adhi Ardana.
The updated regulation’s emphasis really is on money over prison time—Ardana told newspaper Tribun Bali that while the fines are to be increased, the jail time for operating as an unlicensed tour guide would be lowered from six months to three months.
Licensed guides must carry their KTPP (guide identification cards) with them and must have their knowledge about Balinese culture certified, Ardana said on Monday.
Guides must represent Bali amongst both international and domestic tourists and give a good impression, he added—unlike the apparently unlicensed guides that have a reputation for shaking tourists down at Besakih Temple.
