Tourist industry in Bali reaches saturation point

Tourist industry in Bali reaches saturation point

By Rini Utami

DENPASAR, Bali (Antara): The word Bali usually conjures up
beautiful landscape, myriad Hindu temples, elaborate religious
rituals, dances and pristine beaches.

All of these natural and cultural attractions have lured
domestic and foreign visitors to the tourist island of Bali.

But, nobody realizes that the fast growth of the tourist
industry, which has become the major source of livelihood of
nearly 80 percent of its society, is now approaching its point of
saturation.

The local people have started to worry over the present
tourism development policy which places emphasis on the building
of tourist facilities and infrastructure. No limits have been
imposed so far to the development of tourism in the province.

Bali's tourism development has lowered the quality of the
environment as well the island's cultural assets, its main
trademark.

Nyoman Erawan, the advisory member of the Study on Cumulative
Environmental Impact (SOCEI) in Denpasar, explained that the
tourism industry in Bali has continued to grow substantially
since the launching of the first five-year development plan
(Pelita I) in l969.

"In terms of quality, Bali is now facing various environmental
problems as well as cultural degradation," warned Nyoman, who
holds a doctorate degree in tourism from the University of Gajah
Mada in Yogyakarta.

He said that inadequate development planning worsened by the
implementation of regional autonomy, has created a lot of
problems for Bali.

The provincial government tends to exploit its tourist
attractions, natural and cultural resources to get as much
foreign exchange as possible to add to the provincial revenue,
Nyoman explained.

"They (provincial officials) never think about the capacity of
the island's natural environment," he added.

In the last three decades, the development of tourism in Bali
has been focused only in the province's capital of Denpasar and
its adjacent areas like Badung regency, Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua and
Gianyar where the hotel and restaurant industry has flourished.

Other areas, especially the northern and western part of the
island have been almost untouched by the tourism industry.

As a result, the revenue received from each regency is uneven.
Badung regency, for instance, contributes around 89.16 percent of
the total revenue, compared to Jembrana, West Bali, which only
provides 1.65 percent.

"If the province continues to develop its tourism industry
using this old paradigm, Bali will likely experience serious
setbacks," said Nyoman.

Such a development policy will accelerate the current
environmental damage which will in turn affect tourism in
general. The environmental damage that affects beaches, soil and
the decrease in the quality of clean water will surely be an
obstacle in luring visitors.

Nyoman, a lecturer at the School of Economics at Udayana
University in Denpasar, also encouraged all stakeholders in the
island's tourism industry to change their frame of mind.

The new paradigm of tourism development should involve all
parties including the government, investors, and the community.

"Any tourism policy should be community-based and encourage
sustainable development," he noted.

The community must be involved in each of the stages --
planning, implementation and supervision.

There are some obstacles in implementing the new paradigm. Not
all related parties understand the concept. The local authorities
lack of political will is also a handicap.

Shortage of funds and a lack of capable human resources have
also hampered the implementation of sustainable tourism
development projects.

To overcome these problems, he urged the provincial government
and local tourism authority to set up a Sustainable Tourism
Development Board to provide a forum for each related party to
voice its own concerns.