Nusa Penida Is Ultra-Popular With Bali Tourists As Island Grapples With Sustainable Future 

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Nusa Penida is one of the most in-demand island getaways in Asia right now.

The tiny outlying island sits off the coast of Bali and is seeing both a surge in the number of visitors and in the amount of tourist development. 

For generations, Nusa Penida has been a quiet island, home to fishermen and seaweed farmers. Over the last 15 years, the island has seen a surge in interest from first curious backpackers, then the more off-path travellers, followed by more classic holidaymakers seeking sun, sand, and sea.

Nusa Penida quickly became an icon of the Bali travel experience, especially since vistas like the Kelingking Beach clifftop and Diamond Beach reached international fame, largely due to the rise of social media and travel influencers. 

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While much of day-to-day life on the island feels the same, there are concerns that the breakneck speed at which tourism development is being carried out in pockets of the island is not sustainable.

Both local community members and Bali lovers are also revisiting concerns about the new Nusa Penida Glass Elevator, which remains under construction. 

The 182m Nusa Penida Glass Elevator is set to create irreversible changes at the iconic Kelingking Beach. Work officially began on the project in June 2024, and with many more months of construction yet to go, the project development is already impacting the way tourists experience the world-famous viewpoint.

Once a stunning coastal clifftop panorama, now visitors have to take their photos at strategic points and angles to block out the huge crane and heavy machinery that are in place at the construction site.

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The Nusa Penida Glass Elevator is being developed as a partnership between Karang Dawa Traditional Banjar in Bunga Mekar Village and the Chinese investment company PT Bina Nusa Properti (PT BNP).

Speaking to reporters back in July 2023, when the project was first tabled, the Head of the Bali Tourism Office, Tjok Bagus Pemayun, told reporters,  “We hope that the Klungkung Regency Government will closely monitor the glass elevator construction process. Ensuring the stages of development are in accordance with applicable regulations.”

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He added, “Regarding the construction of this glass elevator, we hope that the supervision will be even tighter so that it doesn’t have a bad impact on Bali’s image.”

The glass elevator will provide a lift from the clifftop to the beach below, cutting out the dangerous coastal hiking path. Initial project plans suggest that the elevator is also set to have 2-3 stops where tourists will be able to exit the lift and walk along balcony-style viewpoints built into the cliffside. 

It is not only the Nusa Penida Glass Elevator that has some community members concerned, but the increasing amount of tourism accommodation construction that is happening across the island. Many are concerned that the development projects could be going ahead without the correct building permits, spatial planning permissions, and business licences. 

In Ped Village, considered to be the main tourist hub of Nusa Penida, three tourist villas were recently found to have been constructed without the correct legal permissions from the Klungkung Regency Government, Bali Provincial Government, or the Central Government system.

When approached for comment, the Regent of Klungkung, Made Satria, emphasised to reporters that efforts are being made to control development in Nusa Penida, to ensure that all development projects are operating in accordance with the law, and that local interests and environmental protection are prioritised.

He told reporters, “We continue to re-data all accommodation businesses, including bills and homestays, whether licensed or not.”

“We are conducting field inspections to record unlicensed businesses. In fact, we also provide technical assistance for filling out licensing documents, if they meet all the requirements.”