Minister Says Barcelona-Style Tourism Protests Have No Place In Bali

Share The Article

Indonesia’s Minister for Tourism and Creative Economies has spoken to the press about the risk of overtourism in Bali and his take on the recent protests in Barcelona, where local communities made their feelings known about the rise of mass tourism in their city. 

Many tourism leaders and political figures in Bali, as well as community members and frequently returning visitors of the island, feel that over-tourism is already present on the stand.

Working from the definition that overtourism can appear in specific locations and not only affect a destination as a whole, many people feel that Bali has tipped over from mass tourism to overtourism in some areas.

Over-tourism can lead to a multitude of negative consequences, one of which can be dissatisfaction, frustration, and animosity from local communities toward tourists and the tourism sector.

This is a scenario that has played out in Barcelona in recent weeks, where local community members took to the streets in protest and even sprayed tourists with water pistols, telling them to go home. 

@cbseveningnews Thousands of mass #tourism protesters marched through #Barcelona over the weekend, with some shooting water guns at #travelers who were dining in popular neighborhoods. The #demonstrators are angered by mass tourism and its impacts on #Spain's most visited city. #news #travel #protest #tourists #europe ♬ original sound – CBSEveningNews

Indonesia’s Minister for Tourism and Creative Economies, Sandiaga Uno, has issued his reasons to those how fear over tourism is present in Bali and that the island is at risk of seeing Barcelona-style ports against tourists and the tourist sector in the near future. 

Speaking from Jembrana Regency in Bali in the last few days, Minster Uno said, “Things like that the 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.”

@tgla7

📌 Migliaia di persone hanno affollato il centro di Barcellona per manifestare contro il turismo di massa. Le proteste continuano da settimane e questa volta i manifestanti hanno bloccato le entrate di hotel e locali ai visitatori. Solo il mese scorso il sindaco di Barcellona aveva annunciato che non avrebbe rinnovato le licenze di oltre 10mila appartamenti affittati ai turisti. Se approvata, la legge avrà efficacia a partire dal 2029. #tgla7

♬ suono originale – Tg La7

One way to ensure that overtourism does not become widespread in Bali and to reduce the risk of animosity towards tourism and tourism sectors is to strike the right balance between prioritizing the needs of local communities and the wants of tourists.

Minister Uno also wants to see tourism spread more evenly throughout the province, something that he has advocated for the whole time he has been Tourism Minister.

He reiterated that this is one reason he wants to see more progress made on the Probowangi Toll Road in East Java and the Mengwi-Gillimanuk Toll Road in West Bali to help redistribute tourism across the province.

Minster Uno said that the opening of these two toll roads would be beneficial “so that tourists are not only concentrated in South Bali but also in West Bali, which can be connected with Banyuwnagi.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Wonderful Indonesia (@wonderfulindonesia)

Minster Uno also wants to see the small minority of badly behaved foreigners held to account in a swift and appropriate way.

He told reporters “Tourists who come must adjust their goals in coming to Indonesia. If you deviate from your goals [of tourism activities] for example working here, action must be taken.”

The rise in the number of reports of foreigners acting in culturally disrespectful ways and breaking the law in Bali over the last 2-years has been a source of debate amongst many local communities and international Bali lovers.

Bali has shown a united front against foreigners who break the law, disturb public order and peace, and behave in culturally disrespectful ways. 

In recent weeks, the Head of the Bali Provincial Tourism Office, Tjokorda Bagus Pemayun, called a coordination meeting that aimed to help stakeholders share information on how each agency and institution had handled incidences of foreigners behaving badly and breaking the law, according to their authority.

Pemayun said that the meeting focused “especially on tourists who act up in Bali and are in the public spotlight both nationally and internationally.”

He called on the public to report any and all incidences of foreigners breaking the law and disrespecting local culture to the relevant authorities as soon as possible so that swift action could be taken.

All stakeholders felt this would help promote peace and harmony on the island in the long term, bringing benefits to both local people and ensuring tourists have a safe and memorable visit.