A top minister said on Friday that Indonesia would carry out an audit to reform tourism on the tropical island of Bali in order to enhance tourist quality and maintain local employment and culture.
Indonesia to Improve Bali Tourism: 10 Key Points To Know
- Tourism Audit: Indonesia plans to audit and reform the Bali tourism sector to improve tourist quality and protect local culture and jobs.
- Foreign Residents: Bali has over 200,000 foreign residents, leading to issues like crime, overdevelopment, and job competition.
- Deportation Warning: The government may deport foreign tourists who cause problems, such as involvement in drugs, gangs, or other criminal activities.
- Rise in Tourism: Since Bali reopened after COVID-19, there has been a significant increase in foreign tourists, with 2.9 million arrivals in the first half of the year.
- Local Frustration: Videos of unruly tourists have gone viral, causing frustration among locals and criticism on social media.
- Quality Over Quantity: The government prioritizes improving the quality of tourism rather than increasing tourist numbers.
- Avoiding Overdevelopment: Efforts will be made to prevent overdevelopment, such as turning paddy fields into villas or inappropriate businesses.
- Infrastructure Upgrades: The government plans to address waste management and upgrade infrastructure on the island.
- Preserving Culture: Public nudity and inappropriate businesses like strip clubs are banned to maintain cultural integrity in Bali.
- Strategic Plan: The government will release a strategic plan for revamping Bali’s tourism industry soon.
Currently, there are over 200,000 foreign residents in Bali, and their presence has led to issues like crime, overdevelopment, and job competition, according to senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan on his Instagram page.
Speaking in English in a video clip, he said, “We can deport foreign tourists from Indonesia, from Bali, and we don’t want them to enter Bali anymore if they bring problems here, like drugs, gangs, and other issues.”
Since Bali reopened during COVID, the number of foreign visitors has increased dramatically. Videos of unruly foreigners often go viral, infuriating locals and drawing criticism from Indonesian social media users.
In the first half of this year, 2.9 million international tourists arrived on the island via Bali airport, making up 65% of all foreign arrivals by plane in Indonesia during that time, according to data from the country’s statistics department.
According to a national news agency, the government wishes to prevent “a situation like Barcelona, where tourists became public enemies,” according to comments made earlier this month by Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno.
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According to Luhut, the government will also address the island’s waste issues, upgrade the infrastructure, and stop more overdevelopment.
“We don’t want to see paddy fields become a villa or become a nude club,” he said. “For us, quality is more important than numbers.”
There are nightclubs and discos with in-house dancers in Bali, but strip clubs are not permitted there. Public nudity is forbidden in Indonesia.
According to Luhut, the government will shortly release a strategic plan for revamping Bali’s tourist industry.
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