Bali Named World's Best Destination 2026, Regional Government: Motivation to Improve Quality

Bali has been named the best tourism destination in the world by TripAdvisor in the Travelers Choice Awards Best of the Best Destination List 2026. This is the highest ranking the province has achieved, having previously consistently ranked in the top ten.

I Wayan Sumarajaya, head of the Bali Tourism Office, stated that the award resulted from solid collaboration between the central government, regional authorities, and tourism stakeholders in developing Bali’s tourism sector.

“Our hope is that this achievement will serve as motivation for improving service quality and strengthening sustainable tourism principles in Bali,” Sumarajaya told detikBali on Monday, 2 March 2026.

“At the same time, we hope to attract more high-quality tourists in the future,” he added.

The Bali regional government, Sumarajaya continued, aims to ensure Bali’s tourism continues to grow as a quality destination through culture-based tourism development programmes that are quality-oriented and dignified, establishing good governance in tourism that provides benefits to local communities, preserves culture, and protects the natural environment.

“Which provides benefits to local communities, preserves culture and maintains the natural environment,” he said.

Responding to various online comments questioning whether Bali deserved the award given ongoing issues such as flooding and congestion, Sumarajaya stressed that Bali remains worthy of the recognition.

According to him, Bali fully deserves the accolade, particularly since the award assessment is based on media coverage and tourist feedback.

“And of course this also presents a challenge for us to improve the quality of Bali’s tourism,” Sumarajaya concluded.