Sensitive tourism called for
Sensitive tourism called for
JAKARTA (JP): Bali, Indonesia's touristic hub, has seen rapid
changes in the past decade. But the chances of the island
maintaining its success are uncertain if the local Balinese and
their culture are consistently treated as merely the subjects of
touristic development, an academician says.
I.B. Adnyana Manuaba, a professor at Udayana University in
Denpasar, Bali, said during a seminar yesterday that Bali's rapid
economic growth over the last few years -- a large portion of
which is attributed to the tourism sector -- will be futile if
the island's social settings and cultural traditions are forced
to change.
"There is a limit to Bali's ability to endure all the social,
cultural and environmental changes it must go through to satisfy
the tourism industry. If the island collapses, there will be no
need for all the five-star hotels and modern transportation that
already exist," Manuaba told the seminar on economy and cultural
tourism in Bali.
Yesterday's seminar was organized jointly by the Bali Post
daily and the Kresna Naradha Foundation.
I Gde Sudibya from the Kuturan Dharma Budaya Foundation, which
promotes culture and development studies, said the services
sector -- which includes hotels and restaurants -- contributed
30.5 percent of Bali's local revenues in 1994, up from 17.4
percent in 1988.
Meanwhile, the contribution of the agricultural sector dropped
from 37.4 percent in 1988 to 21.3 percent in 1994.
The highest growth rate of exports from Bali during the 1990-
1994 period was for fishery products, which grew by 35.9 percent
per annum, and handicrafts, by 22.5 percent per annum.
Sudibya predicted that in 1996, Bali's economic growth is
likely to reach 8.2 percent, of which 12 percent will come from
the communications sector and 13 percent from trade, hotels and
restaurants.
The government recently estimated Indonesia's growth for last
year at 8.07 percent.
Problems
Although Bali showed sound macro-economic growth, the island
still had its problems on the micro level, according to Sudibya.
"Investors must be careful because increasing competition in
the tourism and handicraft industries seem to be resulting in
excess supplies," he said.
Manuaba considered that Bali was not appropriate for mass
tourism, which emphasizes the number of tourists visiting a
region rather than their length of stay.
"Bali's tourism development needs effective and efficient
planning. But this does not necessarily have to be economy-
oriented, as far as the local culture is concerned. The local
government must also impose strict law enforcement so tourism
development does not get in the way of the local people's rituals
and culture," he said. (pwn)