Bali Billboards Empty

There is a certain artistic beauty about billboards. Some people say they are ugly and mar the surroundings they are erected on. Some of the best in Bali that I have seen are at the Kuta Galleria.

Advertising en-large is a fact of life and wherever you go in any city in the world you will see these massive constructions. I most certainly don't agree with these being erected in the countryside and should by all rights be restricted to city areas. But it seems the billboard advertising in Bali is getting a rough time and going through a slump.

Bali's current economic slump is also being felt in sectors outside the tourism sector including those who decorate Bali's landscape with advertising billboards according to the Bali Discovery.

According to officials in Denpasar's local government office charged with issuing permits for outside advertising, there were no new requests for billboards advertisements during the first six months of 2006.

Bali Style Billboards

Local officials have introduced new rules governing new billboard installations in Bali stipulating that new outside advertisements must have a Balinese-style presentation. Existing billboards will be dismantled after 3 years and replaced with new signs that conform to the new 'Bali style' requirement.

Tax revenues collected for outside advertising taxes through early April 2006 totalled Rp. 1.2 billion. This represents only 28.1% of the Rp. 4.27 billion targeted for advertising tax revenues for the entire fiscal year of 2006. Officials point out that most of current advertising tax revenues are from past due tax bills and small banner advertisements posted around the regency.