Bali wins 'The Best Island' award at the DestinAsian Readers’ Choice Awards 2026
Jakarta — The Ministry of Tourism announced that the province of Bali has been awarded ‘The Best Island’ at the DestinAsian Readers’ Choice Awards 2026.
‘May this achievement further strengthen Indonesia’s position as a global tourism destination beloved by people around the world. This achievement also serves as an inspiration for all of us to continue raising the standards of the tourism industry and strengthen Indonesia’s presence on the international stage,’ Deputy Minister of Tourism Ni Luh Puspa said in an official statement confirmed in Jakarta on Friday.
The award reinforces Bali’s status as a leading destination and the first destination that comes to mind for world travellers, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. In the awards, Bali surpassed a number of popular destinations worldwide, including Boracay (Philippines), Flores & Komodo Island (Indonesia), Langkawi (Malaysia), Lombok (Indonesia), the Maldives, Palawan (Philippines), Phu Quoc (Vietnam), Phuket (Thailand), and Koh Samui (Thailand).
The Ministry stated that one of the challenges they face is waste management at the destination. President Prabowo Subianto has launched the Aman, Sehat, Resik, dan Indah (ASRI) movement emphasising systematic environmental management based on environmentally friendly technology.
In line with these efforts, the Nusantara Daya Anagata Investment Management Agency (BPI Danantara) will accelerate the development of a waste-to-energy project with Denpasar City as one of the first locations.
‘The issue of waste cannot be tackled by a single party. Collaboration among all stakeholders is needed so that Bali can continue to strengthen its competitiveness as Indonesia’s premier tourism destination,’ Ni Luh said.
DestinAsian Readers’ Choice Awards is an annual award organised by DestinAsian Magazine, which recognises the best players in the Asia-Pacific travel industry. Winners are determined based on experiences of the magazine’s readers, comprising active travellers and international travel industry players.
Bali first won The Best Island in 2006 and has consistently won the award from 2022 to 2026. This achievement reinforces Bali’s status as one of the world’s most beloved tourism destinations.