tourism development in bali

The hunt for the next Bali: Inside Indonesia's plan to save its tourism industry by minting 5 new hubs for international travelers

Land of holy temples, age-old traditions, beaches and jungles — and hordes of influencers in flowing white clothing .

The vacation hotspot is one of 17,000 islands that makes up Indonesia, the largest archipelago in the world. Its verdant rice terraces and Hindu temples define its landscape and make it catnip for the Instagrammers and tourists who flock to the island every year.

In 2019, Indonesia welcomed 16.1 million foreign tourists, according to data from the country's central bureau of statistics. Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport saw 6.23 million foreign arrivals that year, the most of any airport in the country. While some would argue that tourism has "ruined" Bali, it has become an indispensable part of the island's economy: An estimated  80%  of Bali's economy is tied to travel.

The pandemic, of course, ground tourism to a halt globally, and Indonesia was no exception. In April 2020, foreign arrivals in Bali dropped by more than 93%. In the same month, the government announced the pandemic was forecast to wipe out $10 billion from its tourism revenue by the end of the year. By November, Indonesia announced it was in its first recession in 22 years.

Now, the government is trying to kick start tourism with a series of proposed measures that include travel bubbles between several of its islands and nearby Singapore, and a five-year visa targeting business travelers and digital nomads.

It's also planning to spend  $275 million on 108 infrastructure projects this year to mint a series of "new Balis," a sweeping initiative that aims to bring tourists to new parts of the vast country.

But all that development comes at a cost. Insider spoke with economists as well as tourism and Southeast Asian development experts to understand what kind of downsides a new surge in tourism could create. Some of those experts expressed doubt that the appeal of Bali can be replicated in the first place — while others are concerned about the impact widespread tourism will have on the country's people and environment.

One of those experts, Jaeyeon Choe O'Regan, who has a Ph.D. in tourism management and focuses on sustainable community development and poverty alleviation in Southeast Asia, told Insider the project raises a series of red flags.

"I'm concerned about replicating the idea of Bali in these provinces because they have characteristics, resources, heritages, and people that are totally different from Bali," Choe O'Regan said.

Indonesia launched its plan to replicate the success of Bali years before the pandemic.

President Joko Widodo described the plan to a group of businessmen during a trip to Hong Kong in May 2017: "You all know Bali, our famous island paradise? With improved infrastructure, we will launch a program called 10 New Balis." 

Last year, the government narrowed that list down to five "super priority" locations, which were selected based on their accessibility, their viability as tourism destinations, and the presence of a pre-existing tourism scene to build on.

The list includes:

• Borobudur, the world's largest Buddhist temple, which dates back to the 8th century. It was restored in the 1970s, and is located in South Java.
• Mandalika, a resort area that was designated a Special Economic Zone in 2014. It's located on Lombok, an island that neighbors Bali, and is set to be the host of the Grand Prix Motorcycle race ( MotoGP ) later this year.
• Labuan Bajo, a fishing town that's known as the gateway to the home of the Komodo dragon.
• Lake Toba, a large lake in North Sumatra that sits in the caldera of a volcano.
• Likupang in North Sulawesi, a popular diving and snorkeling site.

Luh Putu Mahyuni, a Balinese associate professor of management accounting at Universitas Pendidikan Nasional (a private university in Bali) and a Ph.D. in sustainable business and economy, told Insider that Indonesia's approach to selling each location as a tourism destination will likely vary.

"The central government will sell Lake Toba for the beauty of its nature — they will sell eco-tourism," she said. "In Borobudur, they will sell the temples, so it's historical and cultural tourism."

She also pointed out that even with the natural and cultural resources across these destinations, not all elements of Bali are replicable — particularly when it comes to religion. While Hinduism is practiced by less than 2% of Indonesia's total population, it's practiced by almost 87% of people in Bali, per data from the country's central bureau of statistics.

Bali is also home to more than 20,000 temples, according to a 2014 paper called "The Readiness of Bali as Spiritual Destination" released by a team of French and Indonesian universities. Between its myriad temples and its many wellness clinics and yoga retreats, the island has become a magnet for tourists who like a little spirituality with their vacation.

"Basically, the 'new Balis' are dependent on natural beauty and some history. But Bali is known for richness of culture — in Bali, you can find a living culture that is closely related to religious practices, which you will hardly find in other areas in Indonesia," Luh Putu said. "This is the one that is missing in the 'new Bali' [scheme]."

In a 2019 report for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) focusing on Indonesian tourism, economists Patrice Ollivaud and Peter Haxton laid out the government's tourism goals. Those goals focused on getting as many people to visit as possible.

"Initially [the government] was focusing on attracting more and more tourist numbers," Ollivaud told Insider on a phone call. "That gradually changed."

A representative for the Indonesian government told Insider the strategy for 2021 is not tied to the number of visits, but instead prioritizes "tourists who have a high income."

But even as the program's focus shifts away from mass tourism, the locations may still collectively have their work cut out for them, as indicated by the World Economic Forum's (WEF) 2019 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness report.

When it comes to tourism infrastructure and as compared to Asia Pacific nations, Indonesia ranked in the bottom 40% of the WEF report. And while it scored high on the WEF's ranking of price competitiveness (No. 6 of 140 countries total) and prioritization of travel and tourism (No. 10), the county is lagging in tourist service infrastructure (No. 98) and in environmental sustainability (No. 135).

In other words: It's an inexpensive country to visit, and the government is focused on tourism — but the infrastructure to receive those tourists is weak, and the government's environmental regulations to protect natural resources are very  weak.

As the authors of the 2019 OECD report put it, "Infrastructure needs are enormous compared to government funding capacity."

Closing the accessibility gap

So, what does it take to turn an area into a "new Bali?"

For one thing, there's the matter of physically getting to each location.

"The government is currently focused on infrastructure, because the connectivity from Bali and Jakarta to these five new Bali destinations is very bad," Luh Putu said. "That's the biggest challenge."

Both the island of Lombok (on which Mandalika is located) and Labuan Bajo have small international airports, but Luh Putu said the roads linking the airports to their destinations need to be improved. Borobudur is a two-hour drive from the closest airport in Jakarta, a city where the traffic has been described as a " nightmare ," while Lake Toba is a four- to five-hour drive from the closest airport.

Likupang, known for its snorkeling and diving, is the area that faces the biggest developmental challenges due to limited infrastructure and tourist attractions, as well as the lack of good internet access, the representative for the Indonesian government said.

Bali, on the other hand, is home to Indonesia's second-biggest airport by airline count: Ngurah Rai International has two terminals and receives direct international flights from hubs including Beijing, Singapore, and Sydney. The airport is a 40-minute drive from tourist hotspot Ubud and a 10-minute drive from the Bali party town of Kuta.

To fill the accessibility gap between Bali and the would-be Balis, the government said in an April press release that it would be allocating part of its spending on connectivity. In the case of Mandalika, for example, part of the area's budget is being used to connect Mandalika to Lombok airport. In Lake Toba, part of the budget is going towards road and bridge upkeep, and in Borobudur, it will be used for flood control infrastructure.

But, as Choe O'Regan, the Ph.D. who focuses on sustainable community development, said, "It's not just the roads and the airports."

Ollivaud echoed the same idea: "Transportation is an important part of the deal. But there's also all this other environmental infrastructure that's very important and often lacking in Indonesia." 

 At the core of the plan to replicate Bali as a tourism model is a basic and pervasive problem: Succeeding could be harmful to local people and local environments, both Ollivaud and O'Regan said.

"Pollution is becoming a huge problem for Indonesia, not only plastic but also having proper water is an issue," Ollivaud said.

"Replicating Bali is a bit of a dangerous idea," said Choe O' Regan. "Bali has serious issues — water shortage, garbage management, people pushed out of villages and homes because of fancy resort development."

In December 2017, the island declared a "garbage emergency" and three-and-a-half miles of beach were deemed an emergency zone because they were so overrun with plastic waste. (The government representative said Indonesia is targeting a 70% reduction in marine debris by 2025.) It's also experiencing a water crisis that's driven in part by its popularity as a tourist destination.

Development plans in Mandalika — which, as a Special Economic Zone, is attracting foreign investment in addition to government investment — in particular, have raised red flags overseas. In March, UN human rights experts urged the Indonesian government to respect human rights after sources found local people were forced off their land without compensation. The Indonesian government representative told Insider it rejects the UN's concerns, calling them "false and hyperbolic." 

Ollivaud and Choe O' Regan also both pointed to the importance of developing vocational training programs in the new tourism areas so that locals can find employment, and not only in low-income positions.

"Local people usually get hired for cleaners, receptionists, drivers. These developments generally make low-income jobs for local people," Choe O' Regan said.

Luh Putu, the Balinese professor, is more optimistic. She said the new locations are being developed with Bali's issues in mind: "The government learned a lot from the case of Bali tourism. They realized mass tourism generates a lot of negative impacts on the environment."

She went on to note that Bali's model of tourism is evolving, too, and pivoting towards a village-tourism model in which income is generated in and kept among the local communities.

"If you come to Bali right now, there's a lot of tourism based around villages that's more sustainable in terms of the environment and the culture," Luh Putu said. "Tourists are invited to experience living like a villager to interact with the local culture."

Emerging from the pandemic

Some indicators show the initiative was succeeding in drawing tourists into the new locations before the pandemic struck.

Borobudur and Lake Toba, for example, emerged as new tourism destinations in Indonesia in recent years, per the OECD report. Construction projects including zoning, road construction, and waste management have been ongoing throughout the pandemic in all five locations, the government representative said.

But while the initiative is riding on Bali's international renown to attract tourists, the question still remains whether the island's innate appeal will rub off on other Indonesian destinations.

"Even though they have marketing plans, I don't know how they will actually attract tourists to these locations," Choe O'Regan said. "I think people will still prefer to go to Bali."

And independent experts and government officials alike acknowledge that the stakes are high with this latest tourism push. Luh Putu said that success across the new destinations would bring some much-needed stability to Indonesia's tourism sector.

"Currently, most of Indonesia's tourism income comes from Bali," Luh Putu said, referencing pre-pandemic information. "If the five destinations are a success, it will improve the resilience of tourism because the country won't only be dependent on Bali for income."

On the flip side, Basuki Hadimuljono, Indonesia's minister of public works and public housing, identified what's at stake should the program fail.

"For tourism, first the infrastructure must be repaired, then amenities and events, then a massive promotion," Hadimuljono said in an April press release. "If that's not ready, tourists come once and won't come back again."

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How Bali could build a better kind of tourism after the pandemic

Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Leisure, Bournemouth University

Professor of Marine Biology and Conservation, Bournemouth University

Disclosure statement

Rick Stafford receives research funding from Interreg Europe and the Earthwatch Foundation

Jaeyeon Choe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Bournemouth University provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.

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COVID-19 has hit tourism-reliant destinations hard . The Indonesian island of Bali, for example, where 70% of the population depend on tourism , has seen extensive job and income losses since it closed its borders in April.

The economic impact so far has been greater than that of the Bali bombings of 2002, with losses of around 9.7 trillion rupiah (about £551.3 million) a month.

In the past, the island’s image as a peaceful paradise with a rich cultural and religious heritage has made it a highly resilient tourist destination. Bali recovered swiftly in the wake of past crises, both natural and man made, including the Gulf War (1990), a cholera outbreak (1995), Sars (2003) and bird flu (2007).

But without significant investment and diversification, there are widespread concerns that this crisis could be different .

A different approach may now be needed to save the tourism industry – and to make sure its benefits are more evenly spread. We believe that now is the time to adjust the model in Bali away from surf, parties, and yoga towards rural villages with high poverty rates across the island (especially the underdeveloped north-east).

To do this, government support is required to build small-scale tourism that will provide new livelihoods. This might include everything from dolphin watching and snorkelling trips, to food tourism and “experience tourism” focused on traditional fishing and farming.

Read more: African tourism has been put on ice by coronavirus – here's how some countries are reviving it

That support does not necessarily need to be in the form of cash. When we interviewed small-business representatives in Bali last year, they called not for financial subsidies, but for marketing training and access to tourism-research data.

As one entrepreneur told us: “Many local creative businesses are managed as informal family businesses. They lack knowledge in professional management and marketing skills.”

He also spoke of the need for improved collaboration between IT experts, business consultants, local universities and policymakers.

Yet there are important risks to consider when attempting to build a new kind of tourism. “Authentic” experiences can often be manufactured by large businesses, preventing regional economic development (other than occasional low-paid work) in the most deprived areas.

And without investment in tourist infrastructure, it would be too easy for tourists to prefer the manufactured version over the true “authenticity” on offer from local communities. Carefully considered investment, however, could lead to sustainable development.

According to Dr Luh Putu Mahyuni, a sustainable business consultant and economist at Undiknas University: “The pandemic provides a wake up call for Bali to foster […] new types of tourism such as gastronomic tourism.”

She told a webinar we hosted in May: “The tourism sector needs to develop products with other sectors so as to create a more resilient and sustainable economy.”

To boost that economy, the island should also consider a tourist tax, while reducing taxes on small-scale home-stays, and better regulating the presence of Airbnb. It also needs to restrict foreign ownership of property, limit destruction of viable farmland and limit business sizes in the south of the island.

An island of opportunity

Notwithstanding all the devastation it has caused, COVID-19 has given the world an opportunity to pause and reflect on how things may change in its aftermath . The tourism industry in Bali (and many other places) is no exception.

For tourism is often seen as a solution to all kinds of problems, from economics to conservation. But as our research has shown, unless tourist money is kept in the local community, the benefits do not materialise .

And besides the major financial concerns on Bali, and the need for a tourism-led recovery, the authorities must also face up to deeply entrenched levels of structural inequality. Poverty, homelessness and dispossession existed long before the pandemic.

The island must learn from what happened 18 years ago, when the bombings led to job losses and increased rates of depression, alcoholism and crime . And we hope that Bali can use the current crisis as an opportunity to look at the causes of such social problems, rather than the symptoms . To move on and build a more resilient island, where responsible tourism plays a major role in alleviating poverty.

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Foreign Correspondent: Bali - tourism and development

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A man surfs a wave in Bali. ABC's Foreign Correspondent reporter Matt Brown interviews Australian environmentalist Mike O'Leary.

MIKE O'LEARY:

I think it's probably one of the top six best-known surf breaks in the world, and it's a must-see on every surfer's tour of the world.

Tourists mill on the cliffs at resorts above a surf break at Uluwatu, Bali.

MATT BROWN:

All that attention has had a dramatic impact, and Mike O'Leary's worried it's just too much for this place to bear.

Matt and Mike walk down some stairs.

Between 10,000 and 15,000 people a month are heading here...

Out of sight of the cafes and surf shops that have sprung up over time, ample evidence of a little backwater bursting under the strain.

Matt and Mike enter a narrow gorge by the ocean. Dark brown water with rubbish in it has pooled at the bottom.

Now, just come in here, Matt. This is where... a bit of a cesspool here that the surfers don't see. Everyone sees the great environment of Uluwatu out in the surf, but they don't see the accumulation of the cooking oil, sewage and other liquid wastes.

It stinks, doesn't it?

It stinks. And I think it's been going for the last 30 years and I think it keeps seeping out.

Some surfers fill bottles with water from the ocean off cliff-top resorts.

Mike and a bunch of other surfers have raised money to test the waters, and found human effluent is seeping down to the surf.

Back on the beach, one of the surfers hands Mike one of the bottles.

That's sewage.

That's sewage. That's E. coli.

While they've already set up a garbage service, they're still struggling to fund a new sewerage system. In many ways, Uluwatu is a microcosm of Bali's mounting problems.

Bali, like the rest of the world, has become very serious and money-orientated.

A Virgin Australia jet plane lands at a Balinese airport.

Alarm bells have been ringing for decades, but Bali is now being stretched to breaking point.

Heavy traffic bustles along Kuta's streets.

Since the late 1970s, the population's grown from around 2.5 million up towards the 4 million mark. And the number of tourists has exploded from 120,000 a year to well over 2.5 million, including 800,000 Australians.

A jet plane flies over a mountain of rubbish at a tip. A digger sifts through it.

Together, they generate thousands of tonnes of rubbish each day, and the waste problem is quite simply out of control.

Matt walks through a polluted mangrove swamp as a garbage truck drives along a road behind him.

As the tourists pour in, the rubbish is piling up and spilling over. And it's turning these environmentally sensitive mangroves into a putrid swamp that stinks to high heaven. This is just a few kilometres away from the Kuta tourist trap, but it's light-years away from tropical paradise.

Footage of Kuta Beach, smothered by piles of rubbish washed in from the sea. A red flag shows a crossed-out swimmer and reads, 'Swimming Prohibited.'

The rubbish floats down the rivers and out into the sea, piling up on the world-famous Kuta beach. Kuta is the epicentre of Bali's transformation. Its radical, ceaseless redevelopment has sparked intense debate about what it now means to be Balinese.

Matt interviews Balinese surfer Mega Semadhi, who speaks the local language and is subtitled.

MEGA SEMADHI:

If every place becomes like Kuta, with high-rise buildings everywhere, maybe then Bali will not be like Bali anymore. If that happens, I'll be very concerned. It would be like... we've lost our souls.

SUBJECTS:   Geography

YEARS:  7–8, 9–10

Bali, a world-renowned slice of paradise in Indonesia, is undergoing rapid development to accommodate the increase in foreign tourism.

Tourism brings money but it also drives up prices and affects the environment.

View this clip to explore the issues experienced by those living in paradise.

Things to think about

• 1. Bali is a popular Australian tourist destination. What are the benefits that tourists bring to this island in Indonesia? How might tourism negatively affect Bali?
• 2. How has Bali's population changed since the 1970s? What about the numbers of visiting tourists? What infrastructure development would be needed to cope with such numbers of visitors?
• 3. The problem of waste is highlighted in the clip. List some of the sources of waste that are affecting the environment surrounding Denpasar and Kuta, Bali's boom development areas. What action do you think is needed if these issues are to be addressed? Who should be responsible for that action?
• 4. At the time this clip was made (in 2012), an average of 800,000 Australians travelled to Bali each year. Create a visual representation to show positive and negative impacts of tourism on this island over a year. Find out more about waste management and recycling in Bali. If you know something about these things from personal experience, share it with others.

Date of broadcast: 15 May 2012

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Foreign Correspondent: Sustainable tourism

Foreign Correspondent: Cancun-style tourism

Bali and Sumba: Paradise versus poverty

Updates From Overseas

USC School of Architecture

Re-Defining Hospitality: Bali’s Dual Realities of Tourism Development

By Annabelle Asali, B.Arch Class of 2023

Recipient of the Chiu Man and Maria Warner Wong Global Traveling Fellowship Fund in Sustainable Architecture

As an American-born Chinese Indonesian daughter of immigrants, I’ve struggled to connect with these identities throughout my life. This trip was the pinnacle of my education where I could finally experience the intersection of my architectural career with a sentimental adventure that I’ve always wanted to undertake. When I was younger, I studied Balinese culture as a dancer, but I never really understood what life was like there or what it meant to celebrate Balinese culture and tradition.

As I embarked on the 1.5 month course of my trip, I narrowed down the lens of what I was really searching for: hospitality, as an industry where developing architecture is a by-product for tourists, and hospitality, defined by how people and places can be generous and welcoming to an individual in the face of a new environment. When it comes to understanding a new place, both are equally important in how we, as architects, begin to re-define hospitality.

Prior to the trip, I extensively researched Bali, the intricacies of the tourism industry, and the glaring reality that  80% of the population relies on tourism as its main form of economy. This reliance on tourism isn’t new. Indonesia declared Bali an international tourist destination in the 1970s, which led to mass development of large-scale resorts that began to overtake the most well-known cities in Bali: Nusa Dua, Uluwatu, Seminyak, Kuta, Canggu, and Ubud. Although tourism started as a beautiful homage to sharing the culture and traditions around Bali, over the past 20 years, this once paradise island has started to become unrecognizable by everyone I’ve talked to. The harsh reality is that Bali lost much of its infamous charm and beauty due to the symptoms of over-development, poor infrastructure, disrespecting tourists, and inflation of prices. Bali has been commodified. My goal was to find the true spirit of Bali and to identify successful examples of hospitality in this place.

Bali Untouched vs. Bali Developed

My trip entailed staying at a variety of housing accommodations: hostels, homestays, and hotels. By experiencing both ends of the spectrum, budget vs. luxury, I got to see what authenticity remains for tourists. I visited around 8 locations across the island where I pieced together what Bali looked like before development and compared it to the booming tourist destination it is now.

A large part of understanding the beauty of Bali is being immersed into its natural landscape. From waterfalls, black sand beaches, volcanoes, jungles, to rice terraces, lakes, mountains, Bali truly has it all. By seeing these various landscapes across the island, I realized the large responsibility we have as architects to highlight and prioritize the maintenance of our environments.

The highlight of my trip was visiting the areas of Bali that have remained untouched by tourism. I visited Munduk, a city that opened itself up for tourism more recently, which is located between two lakes above Bali’s agricultural hub and is home to only 6200 people. I stayed at a family-owned hostel that only houses 6 travelers at a time. Because I couldn’t drive a moped safely up steep winding roads, I traveled by foot, hiking through the jungle to chase some waterfalls. It was half-way through my trip when I got to experience the authenticity of Balinese people, where its residents did not sell me tourist attractions, but rather wanted to share the beauty of where they live with me. I could walk freely without the worry of guarding myself from  consumerism, and instead, I opened myself to conversations with locals while exploring the variety of waterfalls in the area as a young, solo female-traveler.

Views from my hiking trail in Munduk. Golden Valley Waterfalls.

Gili Islands, similar to Munduk, is not quite touched by tourism as intensely as other parts of Bali. Off the coast of Lombok, these islands are home to rolling mountains next to the clearest ocean where sea turtles and healthy coral live.

Another very unique stay was in the Sudaji Village, situated in the northernmost tip of Bali. As an ex-hotel employee in Bali, my host created authentic experiences and cultural immersion within his home village. He invited me for 5 days to stay at his bamboo eco-resort compound called OmUnity (designed by Ibuku), where I had the honor of attending 3 Balinese Hindu ceremonies. The mission of OmUnity was to promote ecotourism, where the goal of hospitality experiences is to benefit the people of his community and give tourists a chance to participate in traditional Balinese traditions many people don’t get the opportunity to see. Because it is so isolated from the rest of the island, OmUnity also provides visitors with the experience of unplugging from regular civilization. While these religious rituals were quite intense and intimidating at times, there was also a beauty to being embraced by an unknown community and being treated with the utmost welcome. 

Attending the annual Rice Festival ceremony at the village temple in Sudaji.

The last accommodation that embodied my idea of Bali Untouched is the infamous Amandari. As one of the first luxury hotels on the island, it used a hotel business model that fully integrated its community as one with the hotel. I received a personal tour of the grounds by Radit Mahindro, a passionate Balinese hotel historian, who runs the marketing for the Aman Group in South East Asia. He shared with me the design considerations that architect, Peter Muller, made where he based the typology of the resort to be a reflection of a typical Balinese village. One of the highlights of the resort is that it’s built around an unobstructed axis that runs through the entrance down into the valley where the village makes pilgrimages down to pray to a statue

While the experiences listed prior revolve heavily around the connection with Bali’s natural landscape, there are still other hospitality projects in populated tourist hubs that embody the true spirit of Bali. However, this section, Bali Developed, takes a more critical lens on how Bali as a place struggles with its over-touristic image. With an unassuming location in busy Seminyak, lies Desa Potatoheads, designed by OMA. Famously known for their program diagrams, OMA integrates a wide variety of programs including a hotel, beach club, spa, library, restaurants, and various fluid performance spaces. Its beach club and cultural arts bring in travelers and locals together creating a tight-knit community within the larger one. One thing the hotel does really well is integrate guest activities with the locals — including curated cooking classes with home-grown chefs, volunteering and teaching children, plastic clean-ups, mangrove conservation, and waste management tours.  I wholeheartedly agree with its distinction as one of the World’s Top 50 hotels in 2023 due to its beautiful design that pays homage to Indonesian materials and Balinese courtyards. It successfully connects the concept of luxury and comfort while creating a new public space for travelers and locals alike to gather away from the bustle of the crowded city outside.

Two of Bali’s biggest natural attractions, Kanto Lampo Waterfall and Mount Batur, are known for their infamous beauty. I found that the unavoidable popularity of these attractions detracted from their innate beauty. Kanto Lampo is unlike most waterfalls I visited because its water looks like it is a mist that rushes down like rainfall. However, one can’t ignore the line that wraps from the head of the waterfall down and around the creek due to the mass hysteria of getting “THE instagram photo,” preventing people from really enjoying the sounds of the water falling and being able to interact with the water. Mount Batur is one of Bali’s active volcanoes that has a stunning view of the island at sunrise. Especially when the conditions are right, the clouds hover just below the peak of the opposite mountains creating a view like you’ve been airlifted into heaven. I hiked 1717 meters up the mountain at sunrise, only to find that the whole way up was a crowded line of non-stop tourists. There was no breathing room  to make a mistake nor was there really a space for you to stop and take a breath. The only way was up, and  the view at the top was breathless, literally and figuratively speaking. Although I cherish these experiences, I couldn’t help but notice that Bali continues to struggle with its mass tourism and the endless cycles of visitors taking away from the natural state of these popular areas and environments.

Kanto Lampo Waterfall.     Mount Batur.

Learning from the Environment

I visited the renowned firm Ibuku’s project, Green Village, a neighborhood where each villa was uniquely designed and constructed with bamboo alone. I also spent time learning the processes in which bamboo is selected and treated to become the most sustainable building material in Bali. While there are over 1600 species of bamboo that grow in Indonesia, the two most common I came across are bambu tali (used for construction, furniture, walls, etc.) and asper (used for big structures). Bamboo is one of the fastest growing natural structural materials. It takes 1 year to grow vertically, 2-4 years to grow horizontally for the base to widen, and by 3-4 years old, the bamboo is ready to harvest. They are treated in either a cold or hot treatment of boric acid, which allows the bamboo to last around 30 years. Without treatment, bamboo would only last 1-2 years. This renewable material is the future of the building industry, and Bali is one of the leading specialists in this type of construction design.

Diagrams from IBUKU’s Bamboo Factory.

While visiting Sudaji Village, I also learned more about the subak system, a farming irrigation system that’s been used since the 12th century where water is collected and dispersed across Bali through a cooperative social system led by village political leaders. Following Hindu beliefs of “Tri Hita Karana,” the idea of  balance between human, nature, and god, the Balinese subak system is the lifeline of Bali’s agricultural infrastructure. It was explained to me that the water is collected in a concentrated water temple from the lakes of Bali and because Bali’s elevation slopes down from the northern tip, the water moves across springs and rivers into the terraced farming for produce like rice, vanilla, cocoa, cloves, snake fruit, coconuts, and more. For years, this system has been studied by researchers and is even named a UNESCO heritage site. Seeing how this widespread system spans across the island stressed the importance of teamwork and cooperation required by the Balinese villages and its people to make sure there is enough water for all its municipalities to participate. I was again reminded  that the environment commands respect and responsibility towards our natural resources.

Hospitality in Bali and Beyond

As I redefined Hospitality in Bali, I recognize that the industry requires a compromise between the two ideas of being untouched and developed. The future of Bali is rapidly progressing in response  to an increase in tourism, but as we continue to design spaces, there needs to be an emphasis on representing the true spirit of Bali rather than the marketable touristic one. Bali’s successful hospitality design strategies include: bamboo construction, comfortability with darkness, sacred religious ideals of axis symmetry, integrating village typology, and most of all, embedding architecture into nature. The use of these ideologies is only one part of the answer. Hospitality goes beyond the design, but includes the spirit of its people–like the warm welcome the locals and travelers gave me in their communities. I befriended so many interesting people: homestay owners, budget travelers (solo and group), soul-searchers, luxury vacationers, 7+ local drivers that took me to every new city/destination, keepers of waterfalls, female tour guides (something unheard of in SE Asia), long term tourists turned residents, digital nomads, Balinese teenagers, and so many more. From my education, I was taught that architecture is always rooted in place. But more importantly, these places wouldn’t be what they are without the conversations and hospitality I felt from these people.

After culminating my trip, I arrived back in Los Angeles right in time to start my first job out of school at an architecture firm. Working as an architectural designer in the hospitality sector, I’ve realized this trip has brought my experiences full circle as I am now working on projects that create authentic and unique experiences that push the boundaries of hotel architecture and make these places hospitable. The beauty of Bali touched every thought and perspective in my life, from how I see things to  the way I approach the world and will design for it. I’m so thankful for this opportunity to travel and redefine my identity rooted in these experiences.

Bali Tourism Board (BTB) formed by nine Tourism Associations in Bali on 1st March 2002 with its main aim to build and develop a better and sustainable tourism industry in Bali and Indonesia.

Considering the importance of tourism and its reliable tourism board that could associate with government and local community, therefore based on letter of intent of the chairperson of some tourism associations number: 001/AS-Par/XII/2001 followed by approval from Governor of Bali on 10 May 2002 made the Bali Tourism Board reborn with its new paradigm – partnership between professionals, government and local community.

BTB positions itself as an organization that channeling communication and information, representation, consultation for tourism, public and government with new spirit and paradigm. BTB will not specialize in tourism industry only, but will put any effort to increase the quality of life with synergy of Non Govern Organizations, Mass Media, and Local Authorities. With this new paradigm, BTB is clearly functioning as a tourism board that responsible for a better quality of life of the local community.

On May 6th 2011, Bali Tourism Board has turned into a new organization that recognized by National Law on Tourism of Republic of Indonesia (UU No. 11 Tahun 2009 Tentang Kepariwisataan), named in Indonesian: Gabungan Industri Pariwisata Indonesia (GIPI) Bali. BTB was re-established by eleven Bali tourism associations and has a wider function to develop and enhance cultural tourism in Bali.  

“To be a professional Destination Management Organization and put Bali as a major cultural based tourism destination in the world”

“To promote, develop, and manage Bali as cultural tourism destination”

FUNCTION ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL LAW OF TOURISM OF REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA:

• stipulate  and  enforce  the  Code  of  Ethic of Bali Tourism Board; 
• distribute  the  aspiration  as  well  as maintain the harmony and interest of the members  for  its  participation  in  the tourism development; 
• promote  the  relation  and  cooperation  between  the  Indonesian  tourism  industry and  foreign  tourism  industry  for  the interest of the tourism development; 
• prevent  unfair  business  competition  in  tourism sector; and 
• organize the business information center and  disseminate  the  Government’s  policy in the tourism sector.

Critical Perspectives on International Planning

Community-based Tourism (CBT) in Bali

Community-based Tourism (CBT) as Alternative Development in Bali

By Naomi Nelson

Introduction

Bali, like other international mass tourism locations, faces a classic tourist dilemma: tourism relies on culture, but tourism is also a threat to culture. However, Bali presents a unique approach to addressing this dilemma by using cultural performances as tourist attractions, thus allowing traditions to prosper while fostering the local arts. By self-determining what tourism means to them and their culture, the Balinese have developed a clear boundary to separate what they do for themselves from what they do for tourists, using the tourist audience as a way to preserve their social fabric and revitalize their cultural traditions. This community-based tourism (CBT) approach was codified in the Bali Master Plan following the “Seminar on Cultural Tourism in Bali” in 1971, which was convened by the regional government and Balinese agencies for tourism, religion, and culture (Picard, 1990, 42). In this way, Balinese authorities profit from a controlled tourist development while allowing the local population to participate and benefit from the tourist trade.

For example, the trademark Balinese dances serve as both tourist entertainment and creative excellence and are the epitome of artistry for locals. “In the temple we ask for a blessing, and at a hotel we ask for money” (Picard, 1990, 37). Bali’s dance is simultaneously an offering to the gods and amusement for tourists. Dance specialists are both theater and ritual savants for Balinese people, which is a different view of performing arts from that of Western culture. The renowned dances are extravagant displays of history and values experienced both by tourists and by locals, who watch or participate in the performance. The performances usually take place during dinner either in the home village of the troupes or in the international hotels where tourists are staying (Picard, 1990, 47). These dances are sometimes different from dances performed in temples for Balinese people, which serve as rituals and are not for tourist consumption. This separation allows natives to keep something for themselves, which is not the case in traditional mass tourism.

Bali’s alternative tourism approach represents a movement away from Eurocentric political thought and modernity to benefit all members of Balinese society (Gudynas, 2011, 446). Western culture’s mass tourism is based on a quick and cheap resort experience at the expense of the environment, often presented as all-inclusive packages during the time of year most convenient for vacationers. Alternatives to traditional tourism must therefore emphasize culturally and environmentally sustainable strategies. The movement of “slow tourism,” which is exemplified by Bali’s approach to tourism, emphasizes indigenous contributions and control and is as an example of alternative, decolonial development within an intercultural environment. “Slow Tourism,” as Conway argues, “can serve as the promotional identity under which quality offerings, community-level, and local participatory initiatives, and island-specific alternative tourisms can be marketed and supported” (Conway, 339). This method promotes well-being based on moral and ethical principles that are often forgotten in more escapist approaches to tourism. Bali allows tourists to experience their culture in a slow, respectful way beyond Western modernity.

Bali’s success in developing community-based tourism can also be understood through Shamsuddina’s 2008 concept of “place attachment,” which refers to the relationship between people and places that are created through continually experiencing a specific geography. Bali’s approach to tourism provides tourists with a personal experience of Balinese culture in the physical location of their vacation, thus fostering bonds between residents and tourists. At the same time, community-based slow tourism also supports residents’ place attachment and strengthens communities’ self-governance by allowing the Balinese local communities to become active participants in framing the problems associated with tourism and developing solutions (Numbogu et al., 2018). By centering residents’ voices, self-governance through such strategies as CBT also fosters civic participation and strengthens the communities’ ability to accomplish their own goals without the government’s lead or intervention.

Blackstock explains that traditional CBT “centres on the involvement of the host community in planning and maintaining tourism development in order to create a more sustainable industry” (Blackstock, 2005, 39).  Bali takes this model one step further by drawing on residents’ place attachment as a means to support their cultural identity via tourism.  By using place attachment as an alternative to mass tourism, Bali creates a form of CBT that is informed by a community development ethos, which helps ensure that tourism enhances rather than destroys their communities (Blackstock, 2005, 46).

Implications

Tourism is often viewed as an opportunity to experience new places or cultures, but it can also be understood as a means of prioritizing tourists with capital over the people who live in exoticized places, and especially in small islands such as Bali. This phenomenon can be explained by David Harvey’s theory of accumulation by dispossession, which is based on Marx’s concept of primitive accumulation. Accumulation by dispossession (ABD) includes many “predatory processes that lead to loss for some and the accumulation of capital by others” (Schmid, 2015, 115). Dispossession can be defined as the lack of consent, violent appropriations of land and property, monopolistic practices, displacement, and policing of space in exchange for economic development. This theory of loss can explain the formative periods of tourism, including the mid-18th century Grand Tour Era’s elitist mobility, the mass tourism of 20th-century post-industrial revolution’s Mobility Era’s, and the current postmodern era of alternative tourism. Planning, through its colonial empirical practices, has thus played a key role in the promotion of tourism and the displacement of already marginalized small island communities.

However, tourism could be made more sustainable by decolonial approaches such as Bali’s CBT, which prioritizes self-governance, place attachment, and slow theories. Bali allows tourists to live like a local and invites them to bring those experiences home. Islands that want to plan for more sustainable tourism could use these approaches to redefine what it means to travel to another country, sustainably and respectfully without imposing a cost on local environments or indigenous identities. Community-based tourism and collective action challenge the many dispossessing power relations associated with the dominant tourist practices in urban development.

Children Learning Legong Bapang Saba Dance, Bali Indonesia by Adam Cohn. See Source Here .

“Wali” sacred dance performed by Balinese dancers. See Source Here .

Crowd of tourists surrounding Balinese performers during sunset. See Source Here .

Intergenerational Balinese performers. See Source Here.  

Balinese temple. See Source Here .

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The Tumultuous History of Tourism in Bali

• July 22, 2022

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Bali? Island of the Gods, surfer’s paradise, stunning beaches, magical temples?

These things are famous in Bali today, and drive people from all over the world to fly thousands of miles for a vacation. Some satisfied tourists even choose to retire there!

But all of this didn’t happen overnight. There is a long history of tourism in Bali.

It took over a hundred years until Bali became the dream destination it is now.

So, why and when did the first tourists come to the island? When did Bali start relying on tourism? Did it change Bali’s landscape?

Get ready to delve deep into interesting history of tourists in Bali!

The History of Tourism in Bali

Bali’s journey to become what it is today took a very long time – hundreds of years!

1597: The First Contact with Foreigners

Balinese locals had their first contact with foreigners after the arrival of some Dutchmen in the late 16th century.

Cornelis de Houtman, a Dutch voyager, explored the island for 30 days. He recorded his journey in a report called Bali Verslag. In the report, he noted his surprised at the acceptance of the Balinese people, which was different from his other travels.

To show respect to the Balinese, he sent Lintsgentsz and Manuel Rodenberch to deliver gifts to the Gelgel Kingdom.

De Houtman left the island, but Manuel Rodenberch and his companion, Yacob Claess chose to stay. They intended to find out more about the Balinese people.

This is when the relationship between the Balinese and Dutch began.

17th to the end of the 19th century: The Ups and Downs with the Dutch

From the 17th century to end of 19th century there was a clash between the Bali rajas (kings) and the Dutch. The history of tourism in Bali isn’t all sunshine and roses.

The imposed Dutch slave trade caused aggression among the Balinese from Buleleng and Karangasem (North to East).

Bali lost the fight, and it triggered a bad relationship between the countries.

It got worse at the end of the 19th century when the Dutch tried to rule and interfere in the internal affairs of the Balinese Kingdom.

In turn, the rajas made it very complicated for Dutch citizens to visit Bali.

To enter, they needed special permission from a local raja which could take months to approve. The number of travelers was limited, and even they made it, the trip would be expensive.

1910: The First Non-Indonesian Family Resides Permanently in Bali

The difficult travel restrictions didn’t last long.

Around 1910, the first non-Indonesian families resided permanently in Bali.

They were mostly Dutch, living in Buleleng and Denpasar.

When the island started to develop better infrastructure like roads, bridges and dams, is when Bali really started to welcome more tourists.

1920s: The Arrival of the First Real Tourists

The 1920s was the beginning of the tourism in Bali. The island only had limited places to stay for tourists – it wasn’t the resort heaven it is now!

The one place to stay was Bali Hotel, now Inna Bali Hotel Denpasar .

It was build in 1927 by Airlines Shipping Netherlands, and was the first international resort. Queen Elizabeth and Mahatma Gandhi stayed there!

It’s fame came from their 20-course meal named rijsttafel or rice table. Rows of dishes were served on separate plates for everyone to grab and share.

1930s: Bali Tourism is Advertised

From tens to hundreds, in the 1930s is when tourism began to thrive!

The Dutch made it popular when they realized that tourism in Bali was very profitable.

The main advertisement showed Bali as an exotic and luxury travel destination. They advertised the temples and rice fields, to bare-breasted Balinese women. Yep, you read that right!

Many tourists came to see, and take photos of the topless Balinese women. Over the decades, the women began to cover up once they saw tourists with cameras.

1940 – 1960s: A Low Point of Bali Tourism

In 1942 Japan occupied Indonesia, known as the Dutch East Indies at the time. The Second World War was also happening, affecting the amount of visitors to Bali.

In 1945, Indonesia finally became independent. The first president, Soekarno, loved Bali and visited often.

Because of his love of the island, he decided to introduce Bali to the world.

He developed the first five-star hotel in Sanur, and the Ngurah Rai airport.

The hotel, now named as Grand Inna Bali Beach Hotel, still rent the room formerly occupied by Soekarno. It is on the seventh floor, with a large window facing Sanur beach.

1970s: The Origin of Cultural Tourism in Bali

Young hippies were the typical tourists who came to Bali in the 70s.

This kind of tourist didn’t spend a lot of money, not really contributing to the island.

They didn’t stay in hotels, but with local families in traditional kampungs . They also didn’t eat in restaurants, preferring local food from small warungs .

The Indonesian government started a plan to develop Bali. They wanted to build thousands more hotel rooms, but the plan scared the Balinese people. The locals were afraid that the commercial development of tourism in Bali would ruin their culture.

Balinese culture was seen as a heritage that must be preserved, whereas after the arrival of tourists, Balinese culture turned into a “capital” that must be monetised.

The government created – cultural tourism. And luckily, the tourists loved it!

Visitors came to Bali not only for the beautiful beaches, but also for the mystical temples and other cultural sights.

1980s to 1990s: Negative Impact of Tourism

Cultural tourism in Bali attracted more tourists, which meant more money.

This money was used to take care of their temples, and helped to hold more ceremonies, for tourism’s sake. It wasn’t what the Balinese people wanted.

In the early 90s, they were upset as most of the income was being spent on tourism – even though there were other things to worry about, like healthcare and education.

There were big scandals happening throughout the history of tourism in Bali.

A temple by Sanur Beach needed to be demolished for the development of the Bali Beach Hotel. The temple lord held a mapinunas ritual to ask the Gods.

During the ritual, all the followers fell into a trance, and became unconscious. It is believed as the sign of God’s rage. But demolition still happened.

Another incident happened in 1999 when a beloved Balinese politician didn’t become elected president. Riots took over the streets in Bali, with fires set in order to protest the government. At the time the island wasn’t safe for tourists.

2000s: The Bomb that Shocked the World

As Bali was recovering from the riots, a shocking bombing happened.

It was 2002, and the island was beginning to see an influx of tourists.

Devastatingly, 200 of them were killed tragically in a bomb attack in the tourist heart of Kuta.

Once again, the face of tourism in Bali was smudged. Bookings were canceled, hotels were forced to close, and many upcoming projects were abandoned.

In 2005, another bomb attack. This time, 2 suicide bombers killed 20 people.

2010s: Bali Tourism Recovers

It took nearly a decade for Bali tourism to recover.

By 2011, many new hotels were established ready to accommodate the incoming visitors.

There was also a slight change in the types of accommodation available. Private villas, resorts and hostels stormed the island. Some were built by wealthy Indonesians, while others were owned by expatriates.

Taking over stunning rice fields, with beautiful views, the luxe places to stay had a severe impact. From water supplies to waste problems, the destruction of rice paddies affected the environment.

Sustainable tourism in Bali became a popular concept at this time.

2020: Covid Strikes, Tourism Collapses

Bali tourism has grown for hundreds of years, and became the main source of income for the majority Balinese people. In 2020, 53% of the economy in Bali came from tourism.

When covid struck Indonesia at the beginning of the year, the economy in Bali was dragged down EXTREMELY.

Travel bans and activity restrictions applied not only to locals, but foreign tourists. The unemployment rate exploded from 39,288 in 2019, to 144,500 in 2020.

Through all the negatives, it gave Bali’s nature a much needed break.

2021: Tourism in Bali is Starting to Rise

In the final months of 2021, tourism in Bali started to rise again, but only by domestic visitors.

The national Implementation of Restrictions on Community Activities or PPKM began to loosen up. Hotel rooms and flight ticket prices were very cheap.

There was even an island digital nomad trend of Work from Bali, in addition to Work from Home (WFH) and Work from Anywhere (WFA). The number of Indonesians migrating to Bali for long term stays also rose.

Foreign tourist visits were still minimal, even though Bali had started to open the gates.

Strict policies were said to be the cause of foreign tourists’ reluctance to go to Bali. The policies were related to visas, quarantines, flights, and insurance obligations.

2022 in progress: Welcome Back, Foreign Tourists!

Quarantine exemption polices in April, and the return of Visa On Arrival (VOA) made tourism in Bali start to improve, with foreign tourists eager to get to the island.

Although numbers are still lower than before the pandemic, it is definitely better than 2021!

Now both local and international tourists are beginning to start back with the regular Bali activities and tours.

The recovery of tourism on the Island of the Gods isn’t estimated until 2024 – there is still hope.

How Tourism Changed Bali’s Landscape

Tourism has been a huge part of the evolution of Balinese society for hundreds years. It has brought significant change, especially to the landscape.

The easiest example to see is the decrease of rice fields. They are now replaced by villas, resorts, cafes and restaurants.

It’s happening in almost all areas of Bali. The change encourages modernity and globalization on the island, but the question is ‘is it all worth it?’

For a long time, rice fields in Bali use the Subak system. A traditional irigation unit (that has been registered on UNESCO World Heritage List). But as the number of rice fields decrease, so does Subak.

The existence of Subak is very important for Balinese people. For centuries, Balinese farmers have had easy access to fresh water to irrigate their fields, as well as to drink. Now the privilege is disappearing.

In recent years, it has been reported that residents in the agrarian areas of Bali are having difficulty getting drinking water supplies, especially in the dry season.

Rivers in Bali are also experiencing drought in the recent decade. Even Bali’s largest fresh water source, Lake Buyan, has dropped by 3.5 meters!

The condition is alarming enough, that some experts call it a “water crisis.” So far, the effects of the decreasing supply have only been felt by the farmers close to tourist areas.

Farmers in more rural areas don’t really feel the changes.

Tourism in Bali also generates waste. It is the area with the most waste production in Indonesia.

Every day, waste generated in Bali reaches 4,281 tons, or 1.5 million tons every year.

The Bali government has began to introduce waste management systems, one of which is issuing a policy on plastic waste – you won’t be offered a plastic bag in stores anymore.

Sustainable tourism in Bali has been tested for decades. In early 1987, the Bali Sustainable Development Project was initiated. Till now, more tourist facilities have shown awareness of this type of tourism by providing and facilitating trips with zero-waste.

Bali Hotspots Through the Years

Bali was once a home for locals, now it’s a tourist haven.

The hotspots change from year to year. Once it was Kuta, then Seminyak, now Canggu.

Kuta is famous for its sprawling beach, buzzing nightlife and varied shopping.

It isn’t the heart of tourism like it was back in the 90s, but visitors are still drawn in for sunset sips on the sand and impressive shopping in the vast shopping centres. Staying in Kuta is great for families and large groups.

Things to do in Kuta:

• Spend day at the beach
• Lunch in a traditional warung
• Enjoy bustling nightlife in bars and clubs
• Visit WaterBom Waterpark
• Try out water sports like parasailing and banana boat
• Enjoy a massage on the beach
• Hit your credit card with shopping at Beachwalk
• Wander local markets

Where to stay in Kuta:

Sheraton kuta bali.

Sitting across the road from Kuta Beach, Sheraton Bali is a central and chic resort. Surrounded by shops, restaurants, local markets and, of course, the beach, it is an ideal location!

Seminyak is the epicentre of trendy beach clubs in Bali .

The long beach is wonderful to walk, sunbathe or just spend the day by the pool at the beach clubs.

Things to do in Seminyak: 

• Relax, sunbathe and enjoy sunset at Seminyak Beach
• Luxuriate in beach clubs
• Learn how to surf
• Go for brunch
• Dine at the best restaurants in Seminyak
• Hit the best shopping spots in town
• Visit fine art galleries

Where to stay in Seminyak:

Stellar capsules.

No kidding, this is one of the best hostels in Seminyak . The capsules are private and spacious for a super relaxing stay. You can enjoy time in the pool, and getting to know your neighbors.

In the last 10 years, Canggu has started to gain popularity among surfers and millennial hipsters.

The area is well-known for surfing, partying and budget accommodation. It is a backpackers haven with a wide range of cafes and restaurants.

Things to do in Canggu:

• Relax at the beach or a pool bar
• Join yoga lessons
• Eat at hipster cafes
• Dine at one of the best restaurants in Canggu
• Stay in a luxurious Canggu villa

Where to stay in Canggu:

Best Hostel in Canggu

Tribal Hostel

Away from the major Canggu bustle in scenic Pererenan, Tribal Hostel is a modern coworking hostel. The HUGE space has both dorms and private rooms, as well as an onsite cafe, swimming pool, pool table and bar. After a day of working on your laptop you can jump in the pool for sunset drinks.

Best Hotel in Canggu

Theanna Eco Villa and Spa

Theanna Eco Villa combines Balinese, Japanese and Scandinavian designs. Each of the villas are luxurious and well equipped while the sprawling shared spaces are ultra-chic and beautiful. It is a magnificent place to stay in Canggu.

Final Thoughts

The progression of Bali from an unexplored, tropical island to the sprawling, bustling tourist hotspot it is today, took hundreds of years.

Through colonisation, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and pandemics, tourism in Bali has taken a hit many times – and always bounces back.

Here is to the return of millions to the island, a thriving economy and many more people experiencing the magic of Bali.

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The Butler Tourism Area Life Cycle applied to Bali

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Various research in tourism shows that tourism takes place in one region provide economic benefits to local communities, although there is a tendency existence of some negative impact on the sociocultural dimension and the environment. In order to achieve sustainable tourism, three dimensions of sustainability i.e. economic, socio-cultural, and environmental must be benefited from tourism. This research is intended to obtain a preliminary picture of the sustainability of tourism in Kuta and Nusa Dua, Bali's two centers of tourism. Through survey of community leaders in both regions, using factor analysis we confirmed each dimension has positive and negative impacts to the people. In the economic dimension, the dominant benefits is an increase in employment and business opportunities for local people, even though they were aware of the burden i.e. increasing land and property prices, and competition. In the socio-cultural dimension, people are seeing increased protection of holy places and the strong appreciation in the traditional values as the main benefits with the negative impacts are rising crime and discomfort. On the environmental side, almost no perceived benefit with negative impacts include increased litter and waste, as well as the increasing transformation of agricultural land into non-agricultural land. Keywords: factor analysis, Kuta and Nusa Dua regions, tourism sustainability

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The Politics of Development in Bali

• First Online: 26 January 2019

Cite this chapter

• Agung Wardana 2  

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Bali is a changing world. In contrast to the romantic imaginary as a peace and harmony-loving society, throughout the history, Bali has been shaped by conflicts and contestations over space, people, and resources. In this chapter, I trace the politics of development in Bali since the colonial period, and especially under the forces of globalisation facilitated by the tourism industry. This chapter describes the complex relationships between local institutions in Bali, including the adat village, administrative village, traditional irrigation association ( subak ), and wider governmental structures. It shows how contestations over the governance of space in contemporary Bali have been the product of the complex interface between the political economy of tourism, the persistence of rent-seeking embedded in post-New Order democratic and decentralised institutions, and the continued importance of locally grounded customary institutions.

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There was also the earlier controversy along the same lines in the Bali Post ’s ‘ Giliran Anda ’ column entitled ‘ Bali : Keranjang Sampah’ , Bali Post , 1–18 December 2004. Unlike the Wijaya’s narrow scapegoating, among these comments, there is also considerable introspection evident, attributing blame to investors, politicians, and ordinary Balinese as well.

Vickers ( 2012 , 236) writes: “Stories of killings tell of magical battles going on as the Left exterminated. One youth who took part in the execution of a PKI pedanda (brahmana high priest) described to an Australian tourist how his sword failed to cut into the priest’s flesh, until another pedanda could be brought in to sprinkle holy water and break his power, enabling the PNI killers to decapitate the first priest and hack him to pieces.”

As Roosa ( 2006 ) and Robinson ( 1995 ) have shown, the role of military forces, and even foreign governments, especially the US and the UK, has been decisive in this humanitarian tragedy.

See, for examples of Dutch scholarship on religious and cultural dimensions of local governance, essays by Liefrinck ( 1969 [1886–1887]), Korn ( 1984 [1926]), and Friedrich ( 1959 [1849–1850]).

Interview with Nyoman Partha, a DPRD member, on 13 October 2013.

The divided stance within the district level was especially between Majelis Madya Desa Pakraman ( Adat Village Assembly at the district level), district government officials, and Forum Kepala Desa/Perbekel (the forum for administrative village chiefs).

More recently, the BNR has been taken over by Hari Tanoesoedibjo, a national tycoon, who collaborates with Trump Hotel owned by Donald Trump, the US President ( Tempo , 23/01/2017).

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Wardana, A. (2019). The Politics of Development in Bali. In: Contemporary Bali. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2478-9_2

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Transforming Bali's Tourism Through Intellectual Property: A WIPO Project Highlight

The ip boost for bali’s tourism.

A new project to integrate intellectual property (IP) into the local business landscape in Bali, Indonesia has come to a successful conclusion. The initiative, which was a collaborative effort between WIPO and the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, focused on the spa and craft sectors of Bali's vibrant tourism industry.

The project, entitled “Boosting Tourism Development through the use of IP”, aimed to promote IP knowledge and skills through training and mentoring programs, and enabled 25 Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to incorporate IP strategies into their business models.

Sustainable Success and Future

Tourism is a critical economic driver around the world, including in Indonesia. In 2019, tourism directly accounted for 5% of Indonesia's GDP, generating USD 18.3 billion in revenue. Bali itself, a major hub in Indonesia's archipelago, drew over 6.2 million international visitors in 2019 and supported roughly 500,000 jobs—half of the island's total workforce.

The project's focus on Bali's craft and wellness sectors resulted in social and economic impacts for the participating entrepreneurs such as Cici and Gomgom of MachaStore who transformed their business. Lacking IP protection initially, now they have successfully filed new trademarks and rebranded their products, exemplifying the project’s impact.

Significant achievements in market access and brand enhancement have also emerged as a result of the project. During project implementation, three businesses, including ETNEEQ and MachaStore, expanded their reach into international markets, with ETNEEQ securing orders from the United Kingdom and MachaStore now offering its products under its own trademark with its own store in Switzerland through exclusive partnership agreement.

Moreover, the project facilitated the filing of 13 individual trademarks and assisted four businesses in rebranding their products and services, substantially increasing their brand visibility and market presence. These efforts were supported by the development of 16 robust business strategies with an IP component aiming at transforming operations and enhancing competitiveness.

UnBALIvable Success: Celebrating Transformation

A new collective brand, "UnBALIvable," has emerged as one important success of the Project. “UnBALIvable” captures the essence of Bali's unmatched artistic spirit creativity, and cultural richness, inviting the world to discover the magic of Bali’s creative economy.

The project’s achievements were showcased in a grand closing event on April 19, 2024, with the presence of H.E. Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia, and other government officials. The event showcased the profound impact and benefits of the project, celebrating a new chapter in Bali's tourism industry where intellectual property is a key driver of growth and innovation.

“Boosting Tourism Development through the use of IP in Bali, Indonesia” is a project implemented in collaboration with the WIPO Regional and National Development Sector (RNDS) Projects’ Team, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia and the Provincial Government of Bali. The project focused on supporting the use of IP to boost the tourism industry and helped selected beneficiaries, in particular SMEs to add value to their products and services.

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Bali Tourism Must Change For The Better Say Top Leaders

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Bali Named As Top International Travel Destination In 2024 By Tripadvisor

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Tourists Wowed By Sneak Peak At Designs For Bali’s New Eco-Beach Club

An exciting new ultra environmentally sustainable beach club is coming to Bali. Situated overlooking Nyanyi Beach, Luna Beach Club will play a huge role in the evolving Naunu City.  Luna Beach Club, which is set to open its doors in July 2024 is going to be one of the most majestic beach club complexes in […]

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Tourist Fatality Brings Renewed Warnings For Hiking In Bali 

Posted on Published: April 24, 2024

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Tourists in Bali and across Indonesia are being urged to take safety warnings from the government and guides seriously when hiking in the county’s mountains and volcanos.

The renewed warnings come after a Chinese tourist died after falling into the crater of East Java’s Mount Ijen. 

Since West Bali and East Java are so close to one another, tourism leaders want to see these two untapped tourism destinations managed as a combined nature tourism area.

With so much focus on tourism development in the south of Bali, with more destinations gaining attention in the north and west, leaders have long been talking about the benefits of promoting East Java and its iconic Mount Ijen active volcano and West Bali, home to the West Bali National Park.

@mauiandtrizzy 🌋Mount Ijen #Bali #Java #indonesia #travel ♬ original sound – Maui and Trizzy

Mount Ijen has hit international headlines this week as it was annoyed that a tourist from China lost her life at the crater summit of the famous blue flame volcano.

The 31-year-old woman, known to the media by her initials HL, was posing at the summit crater, having completed the hike with her husband, their guide, and a small group of fellow hikers.

HL is said to have been standing for a photo at a 2-3m distance from the rim of the crater. As she took a step backward, she tripped on her clothing, fell backward, and down into the volcano crater 100m out of sight. 

@couplesquest_ Would you wake up at 12am and hike to the top of an active volcano for this view? 🤯 Mount Ijen is the final place we visited in East Java, and it came with the best views. We loved every moment on top of this mountain…even if it was genuinely so cold! 😂 We’d do it all over again in a heartbeat 🙌🏼 #kawahijen #ijen #ijencrater #eastjava #indonesiaparadise #travelindonesia #travelinspired #beautifuldestinations #traveldreams #travel #indonesia #activevolcano ♬ original sound – MashBit

Emergency rescue teams were immediately called to the scene, and once they arrived at the summit, it took a further two hours to recover HL from the spot where she landed. Her body has now been transferred to Bali, and she will be repatriated to China as soon as possible. 

The Indonesian Minister for Tourism and Creative Economies, Sandiaga Uno, has issued a statement to all hikers on Indonesia’s famous volcanoes and mountains. “This is, of course, the safety aspect that we must prioritize; we prioritize it. We are very concerned.”

@charlotteamyrose_ #mountijen #mountijenindonesia #traveljava #volcanohiking #sunrise #indonesia #thingstodoinjava #MountainViews #traveldestinations #southeastasia #BeautifulNature #MountainsVibes #BeautifulPlaces #TravelAdventures ♬ My Tears Are Becoming a Sea – M83

He added “we give a firm appeal so that this incident would not happen again. Because the Ijen Crater sunrise block is a very favorite spot. So please prioritize safety. And for tourists to be guided and ensure they follow the rules.”

This is sadly not the first tourist death to be reported on Mount Ijen this year. In February, a Polish tourist died while hiking to the summit of the famous volcano.

The man, known by his initials KAS, was believed to have died of health complications from existing medical conditions or exhaustion as a result of the hike since he collapsed partway through the trek to the summit. 

While the hike to Mount Ijen is strenuous, it is on par with the hike to the summits of both Mount Agung and Mount Batur in Bali.

It has to be said that most tourists seriously underestimate the difficulty of the sunrise hike to Mount Batur.

Since the hike is such a popular activity with tourists, there is an underlying assumption that the route will be well-trodden, safe, and easy to complete.

That’s not quite the case. While the route is well trodden, it’s certainly a challenge physically and in terms of the conditions of the trail itself.

The path is narrow in places, incredibly steep, and rocky in others, and since there are so many people hiking the trail every day, there is a certain pressure to keep things moving.

It is also essential to take a guide because, again, while the route is well-trodden, it is not well-signposted, and the hike is generally completed in darkness to reach the summit for sunrise. One wrong sidestep can result in going wild off the piste, which is when injuries are most likely to occur.

Toursts are reminded that these three ultra-popular volcanoes, Mount Batur, Mount Agung and Mount Ijen are all active volcanos and should be respected and approached as such. 

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Thursday 25th of April 2024

Tripped backward over her clothing!! What was she wearing??

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Ini proyek strategis nasional (PSN) yang diharapkan mampu memulihkan ekonomi nasional melalui kebangkitan pariwisata Bali. Proyek BMTH diharapkan mampu membangkitkan kembali sektor pariwisata Bali pasca pandemi COVID-19

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Love Exploring

31 Vacation Hotspots That DON'T Want Tourists To Visit

Posted: April 26, 2024 | Last updated: April 26, 2024

Tough on crowds

While sometimes crowds are unavoidable in tourist hotspots, they can detract from a location’s ambiance, inconvenience its local population, and even harm its ecosystem. This has led some destinations to put caps on visitor numbers in an attempt to keep tourism sustainable.

Click or scroll through this gallery for the top destinations around the world that are aiming to limit tourism – and how they’re achieving it. 

With bustling cities, incredible beaches, and historic architecture, it's no wonder Thailand is high on many people's wish lists. In fact the country welcomed a whopping 28 million tourists in 2023. Yet the country is keen to keep tourism sustainable, so in 2023, it announced plans to introduce a tourism tax (though when this will come into action has yet to be confirmed by the government).

The 300 baht ($9) fee will be collected from air travelers arriving in the country and will be used towards developing destinations, such as the Grand Palace in Bangkok (pictured), as well as taking care of tourists when health insurance doesn't cover them.

French Polynesia

The archipelagos of French Polynesia make up a land area about the same size as Paris and London combined, but they’re spread across 130 islands in the South Pacific Ocean. These tiny isles can quickly become overwhelmed by people, which has spurred recent plans to ensure a maximum 1:1 ratio of residents to tourists.

The sustainable tourism plan, which was announced in November 2022 and will apply until 2027, will mean that just 280,000 people can visit annually.

A trailblazer when it comes to sustainable tourism, Bhutan has taken a slightly different approach to keeping visitor numbers at bay. As part of a new strategy, the nation will ask each traveler to pay a higher sustainable development fee of $100 a night – a 50% reduction from the previous rate of $200.

This will be put towards various development projects, including tree planting, the maintenance of footpaths, and training tourism industry workers, as well as education and healthcare in the country. Bhutan is one of the few nations on Earth that is carbon-negative, meaning it offsets more emissions than it produces.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Visitors love Amsterdam’s gorgeous canals and historic architecture – but the crowds that have inundated the Dutch capital in recent years are becoming unsustainable. That’s why, in November 2022, officials announced a new plan to keep the city liveable.

Measures include limits on the number of river cruises, earlier closing times for venues in the Red Light District, measures to tackle rowdy groups, and a tightening of policies on vacation rentals and B&Bs.

Boracay, Philippines

With its jewel-bright waters, pristine sands, and swaying palm trees, the Philippine island of Boracay is the definition of a tropical paradise. Yet it’s in danger of being swallowed up by crowds.

To tackle growing visitor numbers, the local government required visitors to register with the Municipal Tourism Office until 2023, which meant that no more than 19,215 tourists could be on the island at any time. While this policy has been lifted, visitors are still required to fill out a tourist arrival form.

Machu Picchu, Peru

Each year, hordes of people head to the Inca city of Machu Picchu. In 2021 it hosted around 448,000 visitors, while in 2019 before the pandemic a massive 1.5 million tourists descended on the sacred site.

To preserve the ancient wonder, tourist numbers have been capped at 4,500 a day, and those wishing to visit must purchase an entry ticket online ahead of schedule. It’s also necessary for all travelers to attend with a tour guide, with group sizes limited to 10 people per guide.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Overtourism became such a problem in Dubrovnik that, in 2016, UNESCO announced it was at risk of losing its World Heritage Site status. So the city announced a slew of measures to clamp down on overcrowding.

Now, visitor numbers coming from cruise ships are capped at 5,000 a day, the number of souvenir stands has been cut by 80% and the number of restaurant tables and chairs has been reduced by 30%.

Santorini, Greece

Another destination cracking down on cruise ships is the picture-perfect island of Santorini. The Greek isle, famed for its blue-and-white buildings set on dramatic coastlines, received an enormous two million tourists in 2018, with claims there were as many as 18,000 visitors from cruise ships alone on the busiest days.

To combat this, officials capped cruise passenger arrivals at 8,000 per day from 2019.

US national parks

More than 423 National Park System sites, covering more than 84 million acres of land, can be found across America and its territories. And while these stunning places offer a perfect opportunity for domestic and international tourists to explore the great outdoors, some are at risk of being overrun by visitors.

To combat this, many popular sites have employed reservation systems to curb numbers. These include Acadia (pictured), Arches, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Shenandoah, and Zion national parks.

Click or scroll on to discover the other countries who'd prefer you not to visit...

Another country that's struggled with the tourist influx during the summer months is Spain. That’s why many of its most popular spots have introduced restrictions. 

For instance, Andalusia’s Donana National Park only allows 886 people a day on the routes from Huelva to El Acebuche and El Rocio, while the Basque country islet of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe has a cap of 1,500 people a day. 

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Barcelona, Spain

Travelers flock to this Spanish city for its food, sunshine, and gorgeous architecture among other attributes. But the hotspot has had to put stricter regulations in place to stop its streets becoming clogged with crowds.

In March 2023, it was announced that tour groups in the historic center would be capped at 20 people, while groups in smaller areas would be limited to 15 people. The city has also banned the use of megaphones and created one-way systems on 24 of its streets and squares to keep crowds moving.

Mallorca, Spain

The Balearic island of Mallorca is a hotspot for tourists with many resorts and beaches that become packed in warm weather. In a bid to tackle overcrowding, the Mallorca Council has outlined a new plan, with steps including reducing the number of hotel beds to 430,000 across the entire island, as well as increasing inspections to tackle illegal vacation lets.

It’s hoped that the measures will shift the focus from quantity to quality when it comes to tourism.

Mount Everest, Nepal

Few could forget the shocking image of queuing crowds at the summit of Mount Everest that went viral in May 2019. Overtourism can cause structural harm to the mountain, but it can also lead to dangerous conditions and a higher number of fatalities.

To mitigate the problem, Nepal has introduced a quota system to limit the numbers traveling up the peak. Under the new rules, climbers also have to prove that they've scaled another major mountain, while operators need at least three years’ experience to offer tours.

With an enormous 90 million visitors in 2019, France is the most visited country in the world – so it’s perhaps no wonder the nation has had to take steps to curb tourism. Many towns and islands in the south, including Corsica (pictured), have introduced online reservation systems to limit numbers at important attractions.

Marseille, France

Mont St Michel, Normandy, France

In an unusual twist to deter visitor numbers to one of its top attractions, local authorities in Normandy, France have posted images of endless queues (like the one pictured) to stop more tourists from coming. Mont St Michel, a famous 10th-century abbey, attracted 60,000 visitors in one weekend in late May 2023, forcing those in charge to declare that the site could no longer handle peak-time crowds.

"Delay your visit!" was the message, while plans for a turnstile at the foot of the landmark may be necessary in future.

Lord Howe Island, Australia

Easily accessible from Sydney, the small Lord Howe Island is home to stunning natural landscapes which make it a popular escape from the mainland. Yet the destination is set on ensuring that it doesn’t become overwhelmed by tourists.

That’s why no more than 400 visitors are allowed on the island at any one time – slightly above the island’s permanent population of 382.

Given that Antarctica is such an important destination for conservation and scientific research – as well as having a pretty extreme climate – it makes sense that there are strict regulations on tourism here. All visits must comply with the Antarctic Treaty, which stipulates that a maximum of 100 visitors can be ashore at once, while vessels, hovercraft, and boats must not disturb wildlife in any way, among a variety of other guidelines.

Visits can only happen if they’ve been approved in advance by the relevant national authority.

Famed for their idyllic sandy beaches, the Seychelles have seen a huge uptick in tourism in the last couple of decades. In fact, in 2018, the islands hosted around 360,000 tourists – roughly four times the country’s population.

To keep tourism sustainable, the government placed a moratorium on the building of large resorts in favor of smaller, locally-run lodgings until December 2023, while there's also been talk of putting a cap on total visitor numbers.

The Forbidden City, China

Among the most popular attractions in China is the Forbidden City, Beijing’s former imperial palace. The more than 600-year-old World Heritage Site has been known to attract as many as 140,000 visitors daily in recent years, which spurred officials to impose a cap: since 2015, no more than 80,000 people can visit per day.

The price will also be lowered during the low season, in the hope of attracting more tourists to visit while it’s quieter.

Bruges, Belgium

Nicknamed the ‘Venice of the North’ thanks to its charming canals, Bruges has long been a hit with tourists. But the compact city quickly becomes overwhelmed by visitors, which has led the mayor to introduce several steps to prevent so-called ‘Disneyfication.’

The number of cruises allowed to dock at the city’s ports has been cut from five to two per day, with ships requested to dock on weekdays to prevent overcrowding. There is also a ban on advertising campaigns targeting day-trippers, with a focus on travelers who stay longer and invest in Bruges’ hotels, museums, and attractions. 

Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

Venice, Italy

One of Europe’s most notoriously popular cities, Venice’s trademark canals and labyrinthine streets can quickly become clogged with visitors, with as many as 100,000 people visiting every day in previous years. So the city has announced new measures to limit day-trippers – from spring 2024, anyone wishing to visit must book ahead online and pay a €5 ($5.28) fee to enter.

The metropolis has also banned cruise ships from the historic center, as the vessels are considered a leading cause of pollution and are said to be eroding the foundations of the city.

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Famed for its gorgeous coastlines topped by picturesque towns, Italy’s Amalfi Coast has long been a tourist hotspot. Yet the beloved destination has lately become just as well-known for its traffic as its scenery – although a new scheme aims to curtail that.

As of June 2022, during the peak season, cars with number plates ending in odd digits must only travel along the busy road between Vietri sul Mare and Positano on even-numbered dates, while even-numbered cars can only travel on odd dates.

Rome, Italy

Athens, Greece

Athens has had to lay down the law to prevent overcrowding of its celebrated historic attractions. The Acropolis, Greece’s most visited archaeological site, drew so many visitors that in September 2023, authorities capped the number of entrants at 20,000 a day, with slots available via an online booking site.

However, Greek authorities aren’t stopping there. Starting in April 2024, the new booking system will also be applied to over 25 other archaeological sites across the country.

One of the latest countries to join the list of those implementing tourism restrictions, Japan reported that its visitor numbers for September 2023 had reached 96% of their pre-pandemic 2019 numbers, with the result that the tourism ministry has begun to implement an ‘over-tourism prevention plan.’ The plan includes offering 11 ‘model tourist destinations,’ which have been selected by experts from a list of 62 options as alternatives to Japan’s more crowded metropolitan hotspots.

Iriomote, Japan

However, not all of Japan's overcrowded destinations are city centers. The lush paradise of Iriomote, in Japan's subtropical Okinawa prefecture, is a haven for flora and fauna of all kinds, including the critically endangered Iriomote wild cat.

It's so gorgeous that in 2021, Iriomote was made a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site (along with other islands in the region). However, the sparsely-populated island's unspoiled beauty was threatened by hundreds of thousands of annual tourists, so in April 2023, the Okinawan government imposed a cap of 1,200 visitors per day.

Hallstatt, Austria

Believed to have inspired Frozen ’s Arandelle, the fairy-tale city of Hallstatt, Austria was averaging 10,000 visitors a day pre-pandemic. Determined to protect the UNESCO heritage site, the city’s mayor has implemented a number of measures to reduce foot traffic, including building wooden fences to obstruct lakeside selfie backdrops and capping the number of tour buses and cars permitted to enter the region, with the aim of reducing tourism by at least a third.

Penang, Malaysia

The UNESCO-listed Malaysian island of Penang has recently banned Airbnb and most other forms of short-stay vacation accommodation in a dramatic step to reduce tourism. The new policy, which was implemented in May 2023, is in accordance with an effort to curb disruptive tourism practices in response to complaints raised by locals.

Bali, Indonesia

In response to growing concerns over air and water pollution, Indonesia’s Minister for Tourism and Creative Economies has called for Bali to take action against the rising risk of overtourism. Bali is considered to be Indonesia’s primary tourist destination, with a pre-pandemic average of 6 million international visitors annually.

With the implementation of a new tourist fee of 150,000 Indonesian rupiah per visitor, (around $10) Bali officials hope to achieve a "higher quality of sustainable tourism” on the island.

Now discover these shocking examples of tourists behaving badly abroad...

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