The Indonesian province of Bali has been a top travel destination for years, which isn't a surprise. Captivating natural beauty. Rich culture and history. Diverse activities, ranging from low key and experiential to highly adventurous. There are an incredibly wide range of reasons to plan a trip to Bali. That's why millions of tourists travel there every year. Not surprisingly, more tourists means more problems and Bali has had more than its fair share of issues with foreign visitors.
Bali recently put a series of new rules and guidelines into place designed to protect the region's cultural heritage and sacred sites. A major issue seems to be the general behavior of tourists when visiting temples and similar locations. General complaints include inappropriate clothing and behavior such as being rude, loud, and abusive. Bali is not the only tourist hot spot complaining about similar issues as countries like Japan have also been contending with them.
Additional guidelines compel tourists to obey existing rules, such as traffic laws. These are things that any government would reasonably expect tourists to automatically obey without having to point them specifically out. That being said, there is at least one unexpected issue in the mix. The government has made it clear that menstruating women are not allowed to enter sacred spaces. That is likely a rule that will understandably offend some potential visitors to Bali.
Rules regarding behavior and clothing will be enforced everywhere, especially in temples and places of worship. Breaking any existing rules and new guidelines could lead to heavy fines and potential incarceration. Tourists are advised to take these rules seriously, even the ones they do not agree with. Unfortunately, bad behavior by other tourists has led to Bali residents feeling disrespected.