When you think Baliyou probably imagine rice paddies cascading down lush hills, bathed in orange and yellow rays of sunshine, surrounded by majestic jungles and towering temples.
And this is roughly what Bali looks like, which explains the emergency government proposal to halt the uncontrolled development of hotels, beach bars and other tourist facilities, which are taking away local traditional livelihoods and destroying Bali’s unique character and landscapes.
To address these issues, officials are introducing new legislation that will ban the construction of new tourism developments in Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan for about two years, which could be extended to 10 years, acting Bali Governor Sang Made Mahendra Jaya told reporters. , to reporters yesterday.
The only way around this restriction would be to meet some specific criteria that have yet to be announced.
“The Bali provincial government has proposed a moratorium on the construction of hotels, villas, discos and beach clubs in the Sarbagita area for 1-2 years to the Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment. We want to organize this first,” said Acting Governor Jaya in Depensar.
Although officials have not said so directly, some random comments suggest that foreign investors have built tourism projects on the Island of the Gods without respecting local regulations or traditions.
“I was shocked as a public servant… I just saw on TikTok that a rock wall had gone viral; we didn’t even know it was there. Suddenly there was another big beach club in Tabanan and Denpasar and we weren’t aware of that either, so we were just amazed,” he added.
This is important: the new legislation not only bans the construction of tourist developments, but also protects traditional rice fields from being converted into commercial land.
“We have experienced enormous land use change, and there are many cases where alcohol is sold freely in small stalls. People should buy it from restaurants or hotels instead of small sellers. Foreigners get drunk and then cause disturbances.” said Jaja.
There is also an urgent need to protect Bali’s traditional courses, landscapes and heritage while providing tourists with world-class experiences on the island.
“No more villas can be built in the rice fields. Let the rice fields remain untouched to preserve Bali’s unique character. For example, near my house there used to be rice fields, but now there are houses.” said Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investments Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, who has already given the green light to the initiative.
Officials are confident the initiative will be approved by the central government, partly because some issues have gone viral on social media platforms and because statistics show that foreigners are increasingly filling local jobs.
As a result Bali expects to ‘reorganize’ its tourism offering in the coming years.