Bali mulling new temple etiquette rules
Authorities on the ‘Island of the Gods’ are getting increasingly vexed over a lack of respect for its famed Hindu temples.
Bemoaning the ‘quality of tourists,’ the government is mulling new rules for temple visits which may require all visitors to be accompanied by a guide.
Bali has long had well defined etiquette rules for visiting temples, with fairly strict dress codes.
However most can be visited unaccompanied and the viral-obsessed Instagram generation is pushing the boundaries a little too far.
The re-evaluation of temple rules was triggered by a Danish tourist who was photographed sitting on the throne in the sacred Puhur Lutur Batukaru temple.
The viral snap angered local authorities.
"The temples need to be preserved since they are the spirits of Bali’s cultures and customs," Bali deputy governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Sukawati said at a regional assembly meeting.
"It is because we are too open with tourists, so too many come, and indeed the quality of tourists is now different from before."
Bali has thousands of temples, including well known Tanah Lot, which are among Bali’s most iconic images.
Some date back 1,000 years.
Other countries across Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand, have also tightened rules on visits to sacred sites, thanks to the western trend for ‘naked selfies.’
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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