This might be an unpopular opinion but I hate Bali. That’s right I said it. I hate what Bali has become.
It’s been 8 years since I last visited Bali and I’ve now come to the conclusion that it is the antithesis of sustainable tourism. Even whilst planning my first visit to Indonesia in 2015, I had no inclination of travelling to Bali. Time is a commodity, and I chose to spend it in more interesting parts of Indonesia. The main island of Java and the eastern islands stimulated my inner travel curiosity. I never understood Bali’s appeal and I understand it even less so now. There are over 17,000 islands in Indonesia, and it seems that everyone descends onto this one island. In 2015, I ended up staying in Bali for just one night in order to catch my flight back to London. Fast forward to 2023 and given that much of Asia has been closed to tourism because of the “C” word, I decided to give Bali a second chance given I was now travelling with a family of young children. They would at least be well catered for during our week on the island.
One for the gram!
Ever since “Eat Pray Love” released in 2010, Bali has always evoked images of spiritual authenticity and a sense of the traveling community. Those days are well and truly gone. In 2019, Bali welcomed over 6 million tourists who were densely concentrated in Ubud and the southern parts of the island. Over tourism has elevated traffic and pollution at an alarming rate on the once idyllic island. Bali’s traffic of cars and vans now move at a snail’s pace along an infrastructure which was only designed for scooters. I can only imagine the ensuing chaos during the summer peak months when tourist numbers return in their coach loads to pre-pandemic levels. I was told by one Balinese travel representative that during these peak times, guests had to disembark the coach from the outskirts of Ubud and walk to their hotel with the hotel staff scrambling behind with their luggage. Is this your idea of paradise?
8 years is a long time in Bali and during this time it has become an island favoured by the bourgeois middle class who boast about their far-flung exotic travels but rarely leave the confines of their infinity pool and buffet breakfast. During my absence, the Instagram effect has taken its toll with queues for hours at every waterfall or temple to get the exact same influencer “money shot”, some even shot with a mirror to mimic a water reflection. Bali’s perception of “cool” is what the West has imposed on it, what the West has demanded of it. It is essentially western imperialism by stealth with organic and vegan “instagrammable” cafes spreading and smothering any notion of authentic Balinese culture. The island itself has become one big theme park which caters to everyone from luxury honeymooners, families, flashpackers to the off-their-face budget traveller. Just look at the tourist obsession with rice paddies in Bali. There are hotels and “lounge bars” that purposely overlook working rice paddies as entertainment for tourists with a swing installed so you can not only watch the peasants work but also have fun doing it…!
Are rice paddies equivalent of a potato farm in the UK?!
The sad reality is that for Bali, over tourism is a necessary evil given 80% of their economy relies entirely on tourist revenue and a government hellbent on COVID recovery by squeezing every Rupiah out of each tourist they stamp in. With the increased investment in the neighbouring island of Lombok, it looks like Lombok will inevitably repeat the same mistakes as Bali.
It is true that Bali is an easy place to travel. The airport serves many international direct routes from the West and Middle East. Whether its hotels, restaurants or activities, you are spoilt for choice but at what cost? You have to ask yourself “Is it worth it?”. Authenticity and luxury are not always mutually exclusive. Indonesia is a huge country to explore and if you’re looking for real Indonesia, then head out to the main island of Java or the islands further East where you can still find luxury (albeit few and far between) but you’ll get a more thought provoking/poignant experience as a reward. I can only recommend Bali as a convenient jump off point to other islands in Indonesia. In Bali, consumerism has well and truly prevailed.