Nusa Penida Hotels Quiet During High Season
Hotels in Nusa Penida, Klungkung, Bali, remain quiet with tourists staying overnight despite it being the high season. This condition is evident at the Putri Nusa Hotel in Ped, Nusa Penida, where occupancy during the high season sits below 50%.
The owner of the Putri Nusa Hotel in Ped, Nusa Penida, I Gusti Kertayasa, said his hotel is rarely busy. The 18-room hotel is usually only full during religious holy days, such as full moon and new moon ceremonies, when local tourists visit.
“Foreign tourists are very scarce. Before COVID-19 it was always busy. Now this is how it is,” Kertayasa told detikBali on Monday (7/9/2026) morning.
Kertayasa believes the situation stems from inadequate road infrastructure and street lighting in Nusa Penida. Roads that are dark at night make tourists feel uncomfortable. Nusa Penida also lacks minimarkets that open 24 hours.
“The food stalls here close early in the evening. And with these dusty road works going on, they close even earlier,” said Kertayasa.
The chairman of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Klungkung chapter, I Putu Darmaya, confirmed the situation. According to him, hotel occupancy in Nusa Penida averages around 30% during the high season ending this month.
Darmaya said there is a stark contrast on the ground. Whilst large hotels with complete facilities can be fully booked, smaller and mid-range accommodations lacking supporting facilities are suffering.
“On average it’s around 30% occupancy. Sometimes small hotels can be at just 10%, but the big hotels are always full because their facilities are complete. They have restaurants, nightlife, gyms and other supporting amenities. Small hotels, on the other hand, mostly have no restaurants and their service is lacking, so they only offer a place to sleep,” said Darmaya.
According to PHRI Klungkung data, there are around 460 registered small and mid-range hotels in Nusa Penida. The actual figure is predicted to be far higher if unofficially registered accommodations are counted.
Darmaya revealed that the majority of tourists currently visiting Nusa Penida come from Asian markets, such as China and India. However, they mostly take day trips without staying overnight.
The Klungkung Regency Government is working to improve road infrastructure in Nusa Penida. Hundreds of billions of rupiah have been allocated to build hotmix roads on dozens of road sections leading to various tourist attractions.