Major new Bali ban expected as island buckles under foreigners and tourists
It's one of the most popular destinations for Aussie tourists, but the Indonesian island of Bali is buckling under the weight of its own popularity with new a ban being flagged by authorities.
The local government has been cracking down on bad behaving tourists in recent years, as well as introducing a new tourist levy earlier this year to tax foreign travellers and use the money to preserve the natural environment.
But much more drastic measures are required, according to local government officials, who have revealed a moratorium is set to be placed on the construction of any new hotels, villas and nightclubs in some areas of the island.
The expected ban is the most decisive action the government has taken as it grapples with the overdevelopment of land, preserving the indigenous culture and trying to improve the quality of local jobs.
The government has previously said about 200,000 foreigners lived in Bali, contributing to problems such as crime, overdevelopment and competition for jobs.
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Hermin Esti, a senior official at the Co-ordinating Ministry of Maritime and Investment Affairs, told Reuters on Monday the government had agreed to set the moratorium, although the exact timeline was still being discussed.
Senior ministers were quoted in local media saying the moratorium could stretch for up to 10 years.
Bali's interim governor Sang Made Mahendra Jaya said he suggested the moratorium in four of Bali's busy areas to the central government, taking aim at over-development for commercial purposes, such as hotels, villas, and beach clubs.
Government figures show 2.9 million foreign visitors arrived through Bali airport in the first half 2024, making up 65 per cent of total foreign arrivals in Indonesia by air.
There were 541 hotels in Bali in 2023, the figures show, up from 507 in 2019.
Moratorium comes amid tourist crackdown
Foreign arrivals in Bali have surged since it reopened for tourism in the wake of the pandemic, meaning there's been no shortage of videos of misbehaving tourists that often go viral, angering residents and sparking harsh responses from social media users in Indonesia.
Officials in Bali have introduced a number of measures aimed at aligning tourist behaviour with cultural expectations, according to Quentin Long, Managing Director at Australian Traveller Media.
"There's been a lot of disrespectful behaviour in Bali," he told Yahoo News in July. "You get people not being dressed appropriately in temples or taking inappropriate selfies, having too many cocktails and being basically drunk and treating locals disrespectfully. Driving while intoxicated on mopeds, you name it, it happens in Bali."
Since May last year, tourists have been handed a 'Dos and Don'ts' list the moment they arrive in Bali to outline the expected behaviour of travellers.
Last week, officials from the Ministry of Tourism said travellers could soon face new restrictions including a ban on taking selfie photos at some of Bali’s most sacred sites.
with Reuters
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