The latest anti-tourist protest in Barcelona has provoked unfavorable reactions as a group of demonstrators fired water pistols at visitors while asking them to “Go Home.”
Such behaviors were immediately rejected by both local authorities and tourism industry leaders, but the dust raised in the international media has not yet settled.
Earlier this year, Bali was named a new “overtourism hotspot in 2023” with 14.6 million international and domestic tourists, reported Seasia.news.
Back in the day, the Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, expressed his concerns about the designation.
“Overtourism worries us because, in reality, the tourism numbers are still approximately 30 percent lower compared to 2019,” said the Minister in a press conference on Jan. 3.
Barcelona’s water-pistol situation has brought fresh concerns.
While visiting Jembrana Regency in Bali last week, Minister Uno said: “Things like Barcelona [protests] should not happen in Bali. Because if people feel uncomfortable with the presence of tourists, bad excesses emerge. In fact, tourism is one of the economic drivers in Bali.”
But can Bali be compared to Barcelona? – Let’s review the numbers.
Recognizing that Bali has a territory of 5,780 km² while Barcelona only has 101.4 km², in 2023 the Island of Gods received 5,2 million international visitors and 9.4 million national tourists, representing an increase of 144.61% over the previous year. Meanwhile, Barcelona alone gets an average of 32 million visitors every year in a smaller territory.
The real issue in Bali is that most tourists tend to visit and spend the night in the same areas.
That’s why Minister Uno has repeatedly voiced the need for Indonesia to promote more decentralized tourism to prevent travelers from concentrating in the same hotspots, creating problems associated with overtourism.
One of the solutions, the minister believes, is speeding up the construction of the Probowangi Toll Road in East Java and the Mengwi-Gillimanuk Toll Road in West Bali so tourists can be redistributed across the province.
This way, “tourists are not only concentrated in South Bali but also in West Bali, which can be connected with Banyuwnagi,” he said.
Bali is already facing issues with tourists breaking laws and disrespecting the local culture.
Ahead of summer, the government had to reissue a list of do’s and don’ts when visiting Bali.
“Tourists who come must adjust their goals when coming to Indonesia. If you deviate from your goals, for example working here, action must be taken.”
Bali’s tourism industry is flourishing with more tourists coming every year. Thus, it’s of paramount importance that the government accelerates the development of the infrastructure required to host so many people while protecting locals.
In December 2023, the island had a hotel occupancy rate of over 90 percent. If authorities don’t work on strategies to stop potential issues, we shouldn’t blame Balinesses if they decide to get their water guns ready.