Top ministers in Indonesia have confirmed that new legislation that will temporarily ban the construction of hotels, resorts, and tourism developments in Bali’s most popular resorts is entering the final drafting stages.
The Indonesian Minister for Investment and Maritime Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, spoke to the media on multiple occasions this week during his attendance at the Bali International Air Show.
Reporters pressed him for more details and a prospective date for the highly anticipated moratorium; he replied, “Be patient. Everything has its time, you will hear it later.”
In another public appearance, while holding a ceremony to plant mangrove seedlings blessed by Pope Francis in the Kura Kura Bali Special Economic Zone, Minister Pandjaitan communicated that the Bali Provincial Government’s request for a moratorium would be discussed in a limited cabinet meeting.
Minister Pandjaitan has been clear that he is opposed to the high volume of agricultural and community-owned land that is being converted into tourism developments, whether that be hotels, villas, residential complexes, beach clubs, and commercial properties, especially in the south of Bali.
Minister Pandjaitan has previously suggested that the moratorium will be introduced for two years, though it will have the potential to be extended to five or even ten years, should the policy be deemed effective once introduced.
The Regional Secretary for Bali, Dewa Made Indra, has confirmed that talks remain underway between the Bali Provincial Government and the Central Government. He says officials are working to create a ‘mature policy.’
Indra told reporters this week, “The policy is currently being drafted. Will it be included in a presidential instruction or something else? We are also participating in meetings with the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment. This meeting is being discussed,”
He added, “So, we will first inventory which rice fields are still left, what the condition of the rice fields is, and whether these are rice fields with good irrigation. It is necessary to have a break for these developments so that we can organize this.”
“After it is mapped properly, it has been determined which zones we can build and conserve, and then after that, development can continue.”
Many community groups and industry associations have been voicing their concerns about the rapid coercion of natural landscapes into commercial development to largely serve the tourism market in Bali.
The Bali-based environmental group Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WAHLI) gave its backing to the moratorium even before the policy details were announced.
According to their calculations, over 2,000 hectares of prime agricultural and community-owned land are covered by commercial developments in Bali every year.
Data gathered by WALHI shows that in 2018, Bali Province had 69,000 hectares of rice fields, compared to 80,000 hectares in 2014.
This 11,000-hectare loss does not account for the huge amounts of land that have been covered since 2019.
According to data shared by Made Krisna Dinata from WAHLI; Bali Province now has 62,000 hectares of working rice fields.
In the short and long term, many feel that the moratorium on tourism development in South Bali will have a positive impact on the environment, local communities, and tourists too.
One of the biggest attractions of Bali for tourists is the island’s natural landscapes, tropical vistas, and UNESCO world heritage-protected subak agricultural irrigation system.
The negative impacts of a decade of rampant tourism development have started to be apparent to Bali holidaymakers, who have all seen firsthand the issues of traffic congestion, waste management, and overcrowding at top destinations and attractions.
A ban on tourism development will positively impact tourists as there are more than enough hotel rooms, villas, and resorts to house the over 7 million annual international arrivals to the province.
A slowing down of development will give tourism businesses and the provincial government the opportunity to level up infrastructure, including public transport and waste management, to ensure that all the behind-the-scenes aspects of a vacation are running optimally.
The public dialogue as a whole is also giving prospective Bali holidaymakers the chance to explore alternative destinations for their vacation, offering more opportunities for businesses in the north, east, and west to thrive.
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