NEWS
Bali’s New Premarital Sex Ban Will Also Apply to Tourists
Source: NCL
Unwed American tourists heading to Bali could soon face up to one year in prison if they have sex while on vacation.
According to the Daily Star, Indonesia is set to pass new legislation outlawing sex before marriage – and the new law could apply to foreign tourists as well as Indonesian citizens.
The new law will apply to all areas of the country, including the tourist hotspot of Bali.
The Daily Star reports premarital sex could carry with it a prison sentence of up to one year. Living with a partner before marriage will also be outlawed, and those found breaking the law could face up to a six-month jail sentence. The law could apply to unwed couples sharing a hotel room.
The new law is expected to pass on December 15 but could take up to three years to come into effect. Meanwhile, the country’s largest tourism group is speaking out about how harmful the new law could be to Bali’s tourism industry.
“From our point of view as tourism industry players, this law will be very counterproductive for the tourism industry in Bali — particularly the chapters about sex and marriage,” said Putu Winastra, chairman of the country’s largest tourism group, the Association of The Indonesian Tours And Travel Agencies (ASITA), in a statement reported by CNN.
“Now there will now be rules and laws that will burden tourists and the industry,” Winastra added.
