Bali Governor I Wayan Koster highlighted issues related to villas and hotels built along the coastline, which have limited public access to the beaches.
“The beach is becoming increasingly difficult for the local community to use. Because the hotels and villas around it seem to own the beach. So, the public is prohibited from using the existing beach,” Wayan Koster said during his inaugural speech at the plenary session of the Bali Provincial Legislative Council, Tuesday, March 4, as quoted from Kumparan.
Koster then referred to the installation of a boundary fence at Serangan Beach by Kura-Kura Bali, which made it difficult for local fishermen to go to sea.
“Yesterday, the boundary fence at Serangan was opened so that the fishermen could resume their activities. Because the tourism business owners there do not own the beach; they only own the land. So, don’t oversee the beach for purposes beyond their authority,” he added.
Reintroduce Tourist Guidelines
To address this issue, Koster plans to create a regional regulation concerning land use conversion, which will ensure that the public can freely carry out social, economic, customary, and cultural activities without any obstacles from tourism businesses.
“Certainly, this is not good for Bali’s future. Therefore, we will create regulations to protect this, so that the public is not disturbed or facing problems in carrying out customary, social, or economic ceremonies,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Bali’s Head of Tourism Office, Tjok Bagus Pemayun, revealed that he had received complaints from the public about difficulties accessing the beaches in several areas, such as Nusa Dua, Kuta, and Sanur. However, he stated that the issue had been resolved by reprimanding the involved hotels.
“There have been a few incidents. Once, there was a case long time ago, like in Nusa Dua, where people were not allowed to access the beach, but that has been resolved. Similarly, in Kuta, we have also resolved it and reaffirmed that the beach belongs to the people of Bali. It’s clear,” he said.
And regarding Bali Provincial Government plans to strengthen regulations for foreign tourists and review hotel permits that limit access to beaches, Pemayun stated that they will reintroduce information regarding the rules that foreign tourists must follow in March 2025.
As reported by Detik.com, “In March, we will start re-installing the information boards related to do’s and don’ts,” said Pemayun after the 9th Plenary Session of the Bali Provincial Legislative Council, Tuesday, March 4.
Reviewing Hotel Permits
Previously, the Bali Provincial Government printed 17,000 “Do’s and Don’ts” leaflets containing guidelines for foreign tourists visiting the Island of the Gods in June 2023. The leaflets listed 12 obligations and 8 prohibitions.
Pemayun also paid attention to how hotels manage beach access. According to him, some reports indicated improper land use changes, and therefore, a reorganization was needed.
“Some permits need to be reviewed through the Online Single Submission/OSS system, especially those related to the beach. We emphasize that the beach belongs to the people of Bali,” he said.
Regarding the privatization of beaches by hotels, Pemayun stated that there has been no official communication with the hotel owners but he reminded that regulations regarding beach boundaries must be followed by all tourism business owners.
Sources: Kumparan, Detik.com
Image: via CelebrityCruises
