Government Threatens to Close Illegal Bali Villas

(4/11/2008) Nusa Bali reports that the "cleansing" of hundreds of villas operating as unlicensed business continues apace, with about 6 villas receive visits from my department of multiple inspection teams every workday.

With the latest deadline of August 29, 2008 for completion of permits looms ahead, the newspaper reports that hundreds of villages will soon face closure.

The Head of the Secretariat of Tourism of the Badung Regency, Drs. I Subawa, told Nusa Bali who has done everything in its power to promote the town of registration as his team continues to facilitate the villa registration process.

Unfortunately, according to Subawa, for about 300 villas now unlicensed in office of the books, only 58 meet the basic requirements of licensing with only 35 actually having obtained the necessary permits.

Not included in the Tourism Survey are another 182 villas used as private residences or vacant, thus falling outside the licensing regime.

Tourism officials acknowledge they face problems in the process of licensing and registration. The number of villages involved and its location makes the government team only able to inspect six villas in a given time, and the owners are often absent when the team reaches the floor.

Deadline Ahead

Subawa told the press that those who ignore the registration process and has not registered his villa trading before August 29 is the deadline face very real possibility that your house is shut down.