Bali warns tourists they will be sent back home if they disrespect sacred sites after Instagrammers sparked outrage by splashing each other’s bums with holy water at a temple
- Holiday island’s officials are fed up with boorish tourists misbehaving on visits
- Governor Wayan Koster declared disrespectful visitors would be sent packing
- Call issued after Instagrammers filmed themselves splashing holy water
The growing tide of boorish tourists who disrespect Bali’s holy sites will be sent back home in disgrace, fed-up authorities declared.
The warning comes after an Instagram influencer couple were hit with online backlash for splashing each other with holy water at a temple in Bali.
Bali’s Governor Wayan Koster issued a stern warning that misbehaving visitors would be kicked off the holiday island.
Balinese authorities declared tourists who disrespect Bali’s holy sites will be sent back home in disgrace after Instagrammers Sabina Dolezalova and her boyfriend Zdenek Slouka sparked outrage
‘In the future, if there are tourists behaving like that we should just send them home, they are being disorderly coming to Bali. We will give them this warning,’ he told reporters.
‘There needs to be more order, from the services and facilities at tourist attractions, as well as the ethics of tourists. We will give a standard for guidance.’
Governor Koster also encouraged locals and tourism operators to help look after sacred sites and demand visitors maintain decency.
‘They shouldn’t think merely on the basis of income, and then allow tourists to engage in disrespectful behavior,’ he said.
Bali Tourism Board boss Ida Bagus Agung Partha Andyana said tourists lacked knowledge that what they were doing was disrespectful.
‘Most of them do disrespectful things in holy places because they do not know or understand the rules that apply here,’ he said.
The ‘fitspo’ model posted a video to Instagram of Slouka spraying holy water from a fountain on her backside while she bends over
‘Sometimes, even guests who have been informed fail to understand or forget, so it’s better to inform them both orally and in writing.’
‘Fitspo’ model Sabina Dolezalova posted a video to Instagram of her boyfriend Zdenek Slouka spraying holy water from a fountain on to her backside.
The couple, from the Czech Republic, have since come under fire from Dr Arya Wedakarna, a Bali senator, for the ‘insensitive’ video.
The clip was filmed at the Beji Temple in the popular monkey forest tourist attraction in Ubud.
Dr Wedakarna said the couple were ‘harassing’ the temple, while social media users slammed the pair for their ‘disgusting’ and ‘unacceptable’ actions.
Dolezalova filmed the video at the Beji Temple in the popular monkey forest tourist attraction in Ubud
‘We are so sorry about the video from yesterday. We dishonoured the holy temple and the holy water in Ubud,’ Slouka said in an apology video
Some people even called for them to be ‘blacklisted’ from Bali.
Following the backlash, the couple took to Instagram to apologise for their actions.
‘We are so sorry about the video from yesterday. We dishonoured the holy temple and the holy water in Ubud,’ Slouka said.
‘We didn’t know it [was holy] and we are so sorry about what happened’.
Ms Dolezalova then agreed with her boyfriend, saying they didn’t realise they were visiting a holy temple.
Her manger Daniel Šimkovič said an agreement was reached and the mater resolved with a ‘voluntary contribution’ was proposed to the local village.
Locals said the couple were ‘harassing’ the temple, while social media users slammed the pair for their ‘disgusting’ and ‘unacceptable’ actions