The tourism sector of Tangerine Indonesia is struggling due to the terrible effects of the covid epidemic.
Some people are expressing concern that the new law passed by the parliament recently outlawing sexual relations other than marriage will again affect the tourism business there.
The controversial law also bans unmarried couples from living together, with critics calling the new law a "disaster" from a human rights perspective.
Protests against the law have taken place in Jakarta this week and are expected to be challenged in court.
The new criminal law enacted by the parliament, which will be implemented only after the next three years, applies to both domestic and foreign citizens.
The law has been widely discussed in nearby Australia, with some newspapers reporting it under the headline "Sex Entertainment Ban in Bali".
Before the Covid pandemic, Australia was a major source of tourists for Indonesia, whose economy depends on tourism.
Thousands of tourists flock to Indonesia for beach drinking and all-night parties during Bali's warm weather.
People also travel to Bali to organize marriage events.
In Australia, it is customary to go to Bali to celebrate after getting a higher education.
For many young Australians, Bali is a cheap and short-term destination.
But there are concerns that the latest law could affect people's plans to visit Indonesia in the future.
On Facebook pages related to tourism in Indonesia, people are concerned about the impact the new law could have on foreigners visiting the country.
Some of them said to carry the marriage registration certificate along with them while traveling.
Singles wrote that if they could not stay in the same hotel room with their lover, they would not visit Indonesia and go somewhere else.
"Great way to destroy Bali's tourist industry," wrote one person on the Bali Travel Community.
Some others agreed with it and expressed doubt that the new law will be implemented.
The new law stipulates that couples who are found to have cohabited before marriage can be jailed for up to one year.
There is also a provision of six months imprisonment for couples living together.
"If an Australian tourist has a local boyfriend or girlfriend and their parents make a complaint about them, there's a problem," Andres Hersono, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's ABC.
Visitors are asked not to worry too much.
Because the police investigates such a matter only when a family member makes a complaint and only the parents, husband and wife or children of the suspected accused can file a complaint.
Hersono says there is another risk that it will only bring certain people into the legal sphere.
Hotels or foreign tourists can bribe police officers and some politicians can jail their opponents.
