CONCERNS ON FOREIGN TOURISTS’ BEHAVIOR AND THE DILEMMA OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM OBJECT MANAGEMENT IN BALI

Cases of harassment of Hindu religious temples in Bali by foreign tourists remain continuously. On the one hand, tourists' ignorance of the ethical codes that are applied in places of worship and the weak management and supervision of the Hindu temples on the other hand are the main factors causing the case. This certainly opens the horizon of the public regarding the need to apply restrictions on tourist activities in religious tourism objects in Bali.

From a legal perspective, national and regional laws and regulations have provided a legal basis for the implementation of religious tourism, spiritual tourism, and pilgrimage tourism. The settlement of harassments of places of worship was­ mainly resolved with a customary approach, whereas the perpetrators, temple management, and/or customary communities hold ceremonies to recover the spirituality (niskala) aspects and to restore the harmony. The imposing of immigration administrative sanctions and criminal law enforcement for foreign tourists who are the perpetrators seem to be the last option.

Differences in cultural backgrounds, perspectives, and ethical dimensions of foreign tourists are unavoidable, so there is always a probability for future cases. Therefore, local governments, business entities, and local communities as tourism stakeholders in religious tourism objects need to create clear and measurable guidelines for tourists, along with proper management and supervision.