Wayan Suardana, a Denpasar-based academic at Udayana University, suggests that Bali is facing a overtourism problem, but the issue is not as severe as it appears, since tourists are mainly concentrated on the southern part of Bali.
Suardana said that “Bali is not over-touristy, but it’s important to improve the connectivity between the southern region of Bali and other areas.”
The Dean of Unud Faculty of Tourism noted that certain areas of southern Bali are booming with tourism, including Denpasar, Badung and Gianyar Regencies. Other regions, like Karangasem Buleleng and Jembrana, remain less popular.
Suardana believes that development of infrastructure such as roads for better access is crucial to promoting equitable growth in tourism. Bali has an opportunity to attract quality tourism after COVID-19.
He added that “Bali must shift its focus to quality tourism by considering factors like indicators, location and pricing.”
In order to support this initiative, Bali Provincial Government has plans to implement an IDR 150.000 fee per foreign tourist starting on February 14. Based on Law Number 15 2023 and Regional Regulation Number 6, 2023, the fee aims to preserve Bali’s cultural and natural legacy, improve service quality and manage cultural tourism.
According to data from the Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali will welcome approximately 5.3 millions foreign tourists in 2023. This is close to 88% of 2019’s figure of 6.3million, and an average of 15,000 foreign visitors per day.
Bali Plans To Attract Record-Breaking Number Of Visitors In 2024
Bali’s government has already stated that it wants to attract a record number seven million tourists by 2024.
The island will balance this ambitious target by implementing strategies that manage the influx of visitors and distribute them more evenly among different regions. This is to minimize the impact on popular locations.
In order to reduce pressure on popular hotspots, the initiative promotes lesser-known Bali destinations. This will ensure sustainable tourism.
