Balinese hope construction freeze can tame tourism
While Bali’s residents acknowledge the importance of tourism, many worry the influx of travellers is damaging the resort island
On Indonesia’s beach-fringed resort island of Bali, fed-up locals want to slow the mass tourism that is their biggest money earner – hoping a plan to freeze hotel-building can restore some calm.
Anxious about runaway tourism, many Balinese yearn for a more tranquil yesteryear, much like residents in European hotspots Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, or Venice.
In response, Indonesian authorities recently announced plans – yet to be confirmed by the new government – for a two-year moratorium on building hotels, villas, and nightclubs.
Before foreign surfers discovered its waves decades ago, Canggu was a quiet, southern Balinese beachside village perched on the Indian Ocean and dotted with rice paddy fields.
Now, it bristles with hotels and lodgings, its streets clogged with cars, scooters, and trucks.
Locals like 23-year-old Kadek Candrawati fear the environment is taking second place.
