When you think of Bali, you probably picture rice fields cascading down lush hillsides, bathed in orange and yellow sun rays, surrounded by majestic jungles and towering temples.
And that’s pretty much what Bali looks like, which explains the urgent government proposal to halt the uncontrolled development of hotels, beach bars and other tourist facilities that are taking away local traditional livelihoods and destroying Bali’s unique character and landscapes.
To address these issues, officials are introducing new legislation banning the construction of new tourist developments in Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan for around two years, which could be extended to 10, Acting Bali Governor, Sang Made Mahendra Jaya told reporters yesterday.
The only way to bypass this restriction would be to comply with some specific criteria that have yet to be disclosed.
“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 for Maritime Affairs and Investment, we want to organize it first,” said the acting governor Jaya in Depensar.
Although officials have not said it directly, some random comments suggest that foreign investors have been building tourist projects on the Island of the Gods without respecting local regulations or traditions.
“I was shocked as an official… I just saw on TikTok that a cliff cutting had gone viral; we didn’t even know it was there. Suddenly, there was another big beach club in Tabanan and Denpasar and we were unaware of that as well, so we were just dumbfounded,” he added.
This is important—the new legislation not only forbids the construction of tourist developments but also protects traditional rice fields from being converted into commercial lands.
“We’ve been experiencing a massive conversion of land use, and there are many instances of alcohol being freely sold in small stalls. People should buy it from restaurants or hotels instead of buying it from small vendors. Foreigners get drunk and then cause disturbances,” said Jaya.
There’s also the urgent need to protect Bali’s traditional jobs, landscapes and heritage while still providing tourists with world-class experiences on the island.
“No more villas should 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 for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, who has already greenlighted the initiative.
Officials firmly believe that 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 have increasingly been taking local jobs.
As a result, Bali expects to “reorganize” its tourism offering over the next few years.