Bali has been included in the list of destinations recommended to avoid by foreign tourists by 2025 according to Fodor’s, a travel guide publisher from the United States. The cause is the problem of overtourism that occurs in Bali.
Fodor’s assesses that uncontrolled and massive tourism-driven development has destroyed Bali’s natural habitat, threatened environmental and cultural heritage, and created a serious plastic waste problem.
In this regard, the Chairman of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Bali, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati or Cok Ace, provided clarification. He denied that Bali had experienced overtourism, stating that what needs to be improved is its management.
“Bali is not actually experiencing overtourism. With an area eight times larger than Singapore and only one-sixth of the tourists, it’s not possible,” said Cok Ace on Friday (11/22/2024), as reported by DutaTV.
“In fact, considering the vast area, it cannot be categorized as overtourism. It’s just the management needs improvement,” he added.
Inadequate Infrastructure Lead to Congestion
According to Detiktravel, Cok Ace also highlighted that until now there has been no in-depth study of Bali’s carrying capacity, both in terms of nature, culture, and population.
He argued that the congestion that occurred in some places was more caused by inadequate infrastructure and uncontrolled business licenses, not because Bali as a whole experienced overtourism. This, according to him, has an impact on the comfort and safety of tourists.
Fodor’s has also previously included Bali in the list of destinations with excessive tourism in an article titled Fifteen Destinations to Reconsider in 2025, which mentions that uncontrolled development in Bali has damaged the environment and created a plastic waste crisis.
Bali is not the only destination experiencing this. Other cities such as Athens, Paris, and Phuket are also facing similar problems, with areas such as Kuta, Seminyak, Jimbaran, Canggu, Nusa Dua, and Sanur in southern Bali experiencing overcrowding.
The Bali government is targeting the arrival of 7 million foreign tourists by 2024, up from 5.2 million tourists in 2023.
Sources : DutaTV, DetikTravel
image: Penglipuran Village Management
