French Tourist Calls Bali "Hell", Regional Tourism Head Responds
A French female tourist shared a negative experience from her visit to Bali through a personal TikTok video posted on Monday, 23 February 2026, with the caption “Never come to Bali”.
In the two-minute, forty-second video, she stated: “Never come to Bali, trust me, never come to Bali. This is hell on earth, this is a bad island. I am certain everything is difficult here.”
The tourist experienced poor service during her stay at a local homestay. She also criticised Bali’s infrastructure, noting that many roads in the destination frequently referred to as an “earthly paradise” were severely damaged.
“Truly, I am convinced this is hell. This is terrible. This is the worst destination in my life,” she said.
She further expressed disappointment about several currency exchange transactions at local outlets, noting she nearly fell victim to fraud. “When you want to withdraw money, they always want to take money. They are dishonest. This is a spiritual island, an island of karma,” she added.
The tourist subsequently posted additional videos documenting her personal travel experiences during her stay in Bali.
I Wayan Sumarajaya, Head of the Bali Provincial Tourism Office, responded to the foreign tourist’s sharp criticism of Bali’s tourism sector. According to Wayan, everyone is entitled to express opinions about Bali based on their personal experiences.
“As people from Bali who have been involved in tourism for a long time, we must be wise in receiving criticism. We should not be too satisfied when praised, but must also be open to criticism,” Wayan said when contacted by Kompas.com on Saturday, 14 March 2026.
Wayan clarified that constructive criticism aimed at improvement is what should be considered. “Let us use this criticism as a whip to continue improving service quality. We must maintain the good aspects and work together to address areas that tourists deem lacking through coordination and collaboration among all relevant stakeholders,” he said.