In recent years, one of the aspects that has emerged strongly in the travel sector is that of overtourism overtourism which is putting pressure on many of the world’s most popular destinations with an influx of visitors that exceeds their capacity to handle, causing inconvenience to residents (and visitors themselves).
On the environmental front, the increase in tourist flows has led to coastal erosion, damage to historical sites and the destruction of natural habitats. On the social front, residents are having to live with the rising cost of living, the loss of cultural identity, overcrowding and more pollution.
Faced with such a scenario, there are many places that are adopting measures to curb the number of tourists, such as the introduction of daily quotas or entrance fees for the most iconic places, a higher tourist tax and more. Bali, renowned Indonesian island for example, it will no longer build hotels: let’s see in detail.
New hotels in Bali: construction halted for ten years
As mentioned, Bali has planned a stop new tourist constructions for a period that could last up to a decade.
The moratorium was requested by the island’s administration to the central government of Indonesia, with the aim of curb uncontrolled development (especially in areas with high population and tourist density) and preserve local culture and extraordinary natural environment.
Bali’s acting governor, Sang Made Mahendra Jaya, has proposed the moratorium for four specific areaswith a high population density and more inflated by the presence of hotels, villas and beach resorts.
The central government has accepted the proposal, but the timeline for implementing the restrictions is still in the process of being defined.
Hermin Esti, a senior official at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment, confirmed that the decision is part of a broader commitment to reform the island’s tourism sectorwith the aim of increasing its quality while preserving cultural traditions and offering greater job opportunities for the local population.
Since 2019, there are 35 more hotels
Bali has experienced a period of crisis in recent years exponential growth both in terms of visitors and foreign residents, which puts the infrastructure and the ecological and social balance of the territory in great difficulty. After the post-pandemic reopening, arrivals have increased significantly, with 2.9 million foreign visitors recorded in the first half of the year alone, that is, 65% of the total arrivals in Indonesia.
This turnout led to a overdevelopmentwith a rapid increase in hotels and tourist facilities (541 hotels in 2022compared to 507 in 2019), in addition to a growing presence of foreigners who settle permanently compared to an estimated number of 200,000 residents. This is a phenomenon that has generated problems such as crime, competition for jobs and a worsening quality of life.
Furthermore, the inappropriate behavior of some tourists, which went viral on social media, has exacerbated discontent and accelerated the need for a response: faced with an unsustainable situation, the Indonesian government is thus planning a moratorium on tourism development in Bali, which could last up to 10 years. The Minister of Coordination of Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Pandjaitan, stressed the need for this plan to monitor the impact of tourism growth on the island and protect its culture and environment.