Bali Commits To Improving Tourism Facilities At Grand Opening Of Canggu Public Bathrooms

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Bali is proudly launching the ‘Toilet Program for the Country’ with improvements to public facilities in key tourism destinations on the island. The program aims to improve sanitation in tourist destinations to help sustain public health and enhance tourism facilities. 

The program, established by LIXIL Water Technology Indonesia in partnership with Bali tourism agencies, has opened its first new public toilets close to Berawa Beach in Canggu. The initial plan is to install 1,000 toilets across Bali’s leading tourist destinations. 

The grand opening was attended by Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno. Speaking to reporters, he shared his support for the program. He said, ‘This program aims to improve sanitation in public areas including tourist attractions so that all visitors, both Indonesians, and foreign tourists, can experience easy access to clean, healthy, safe and comfortable toilets’. 

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The Berawa Toilet provides sanitation facilities for all, including an accessible bathroom for those with additional needs. For improved hygiene, the toilets are fully touchless. Toilet flushes, taps, and hand dryers are all activated on a motion sensor. The pilot project is now open at Berawa Beach, with more facilities scheduled to be built and opened in 2023 and 2024. 

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Minister Uno explained, ‘the toilets are comfortable and easy to maintain. The target is 1,000 toilets in tourist destinations in collaboration with the Toilet Programme for the State. We see excellent destinations such as Bali and five super priority designations [in need of facilities like this]’. Minister Uno’s super-priority destinations are areas across Indonesia receiving government funding to become leading tourism destinations, including Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara, and Likupang in North Sulawesi. 

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Canggu was undoubtedly in need of public facilities like the Berawa Toilets. While there are some public bathrooms in the area, most tourists opt to nip into a cafe to use the bathroom or wait until they get back to their accommodation, as many public bathroom facilities are not staffed or regularly cleaned. These new bathrooms will be staffed, and Minster Uno has insisted that best practices be maintained at all times. 

The building is modern and fits in with the newly adopted industrial aesthetic widely produced in Canggu. It was designed by Ary Indra, the co-founder of Aboday and the founder of Pitu Rooms. Aboday is the architectural design company behind some of Indonesia’s most impressive modern buildings, including the Kemang Women and Children’s Hospital in Jakarta and Villa Paya-Paya in Bali.

He said, ‘As best practice management of toilets in tourist attractions as well as creating new business opportunities and efforts to improve the quality of tourist services’. He went on to confirm that the bathroom facilities are environmentally friendly and that the new bathroom station will create jobs for the local community. Minster Uno and his creative economies department have targets of producing 4.4 million new jobs in the sector by 2024. 

Minister Uno praised Bali for its overall commitment to creating positive experiences for Bali. That across-the-board hygiene practices are very good. He noted that when he visited the Penglipuran Bali Tourism Village on World Tourism Day last month that his delegation was impressed ‘because there are villages that have clean toilets like that, this shows the nobility of our local wisdom in maintaining cleanliness. 

Launching the pilot program in Canggu is regarded as a smart move. With so much of the tourism industry in Bali focusing on Canggu, improving public facilities will only help to improve the public image of the area. There has been widespread media coverage of the issues that Canggu is facing in light of rapid development.

Issues with wastewater management and road infrastructure have been highlighted by local leaders, the provincial government, and visitors. Improving public resources slowly but surely will help Canggu’s capacity to sustain the momentum built by the tourism boom.