AHY Emphasises Sustainable Development for Bali Tourism

Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) has affirmed the government’s commitment to developing Bali as a world-class tourist destination grounded in the principles of sustainable development. He stated that economic growth and the tourism sector must progress in tandem with environmental conservation, cultural protection, and the improvement of local community welfare. The statement was made after AHY led a Regional Development Coordination Meeting for Bali at the Wiswa Sabha Building, Bali Governor’s Office, Denpasar, on Monday (20/7/2026). The meeting was attended by Minister of National Development Planning Rachmat Pambudy, Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Ossy Dermawan, Bali Governor Wayan Koster, and regents and mayors from across Bali. “Bali is Indonesia’s mainstay. We want to ensure Bali, as a world-class tourist destination, continues to attract both domestic and international visitors. However, it is unfair if, in the pursuit of tourism growth, the people of Bali, its nature, and its culture are neglected. These three must be the main foundation of development,” AHY said in a written statement in Jakarta on Monday. According to AHY, the government has agreed on several strategic priorities for Bali’s regional development. The first is strengthening sustainable spatial planning as the basis for development. Spatial planning must maintain a balance between tourism areas, community settlements, productive agricultural land, and the development of other economic sectors so that Bali’s growth remains controlled and sustainable. “Regional development must start with good spatial planning. We want to ensure that development proceeds in a balanced manner, not only supporting tourism but also keeping rice fields productive, strengthening food security, and opening space for other economic growth,” AHY stated. AHY said the second priority is accelerating the development of basic infrastructure and public services. In addition to improving road quality, the government is also focusing on the provision of clean water, education, and health services as part of comprehensive infrastructure development. One of the main issues highlighted during the meeting was traffic congestion, which is increasingly felt during holiday seasons and peak mobility periods. AHY explained that the government is preparing both short-term and long-term measures to alleviate traffic density, including optimising the Ketapang-Gilimanuk ferry crossing connectivity, developing multimodal transport, and utilising sea transportation such as water taxis. “The traffic congestion problem in Bali is no longer a local issue. When Bali is congested, the world takes notice. Therefore, we must address it with real solutions through strategic, integrated, and sustainable policies,” AHY asserted. Besides transportation, the issue of waste management is also a primary focus for the government. AHY conveyed that the strengthening of Integrated Waste Processing Sites (TPST) and TPS3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) facilities will be accelerated, accompanied by the development of waste-to-energy technology as a long-term solution to address the increasingly limited waste management capacity. In the housing sector, the government is also encouraging the organisation of residential areas while expanding access for low-income communities to decent and affordable housing through various public housing programmes.