Is Bali doomed?

Welcome to Bali, is Bali doomed?

Is Bali still the paradise as imagined by the travel brochures or is it just an amusement park with some disappearing traces of an old and rich culture?

As travelers flock back to Bali after the pandemic in record numbers, the impact of overtourism is starker than ever. As buildings encroach on rice fields and garbage washes up on sandy beaches, has Bali lost its image as paradise?

In this slice of paradise, there is a wave of discontent brewing. Last May, then Bali Governor Wayan Koster mooted putting a cap on visitor numbers, citing misbehaving tourists as the reason. Though the cap did not materialize, several occurrences since would highlight the problem. In 2023, Bali deported 340 foreigners, higher than 188 people the previous year. Mainly from Russia, the United States, Britain and Nigeria. Their violations included overstaying, working illegally and exposing themselves in sacred places.

Earlier this year, police arrested three Mexicans for an armed robbery that left a Turkish tourist wounded. Last December, the attack on a beauty salon staff by two female tourists over a payment dispute went viral. The women, one British and one American, were arrested, then deported in February, according to local police.  The task force is a sign of an island grappling with its status as Indonesia's most popular tourist destination. How much does tourism matter to Bali?

Indonesia is made up of over 17,000 islands. Yet of the over 11 million people that visited the country in 2023, almost half made their way to Bali. Still, Bali wants more. Tourism has transformed the economy, contributing directly or indirectly to roughly 80% of the economy.

The pandemic was brutal for the island, costing around 200 trillion rupiah or 13 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. Now Bali wants to make up for lost time and lost tourism receipts.

In 2020, 2.2 million foreign tourists visited the island.  Last year, that number was 5.3 million, beating the target of 4.5 million. And this year the benchmark has been raised.

But influx of tourists is putting a strain on Bali's resources and image tarnished by rampant development, overcrowding and gridlock.

Bali will change and the struggles it has are visible. Still, tourism matters in Bali, as well as businesses run by foreigners. Even real estate development. The key is ofcourse responsible and sustainable development.

While locals reconcile the island's love-hate relationship with tourism, Bali's evolution into the country's top tourist destination is clear and visible....

Watch this documentary from Mediacorp, CNA Insider: