Bali has long been a hotspot for Aussies and other tourists alike with the island undergoing a surge of rapid development to keep up with demand, building more resorts, villas and beach clubs.
The resort village of Canggu on the south coast and Uluwatu, on the south-western tip of the Bukit Peninsula, are the two key areas experiencing the bulk of the investment and development — mainly due to their popularity among foreigners.
In fact, as of March 2023, Australia was the largest feeder market for direct foreign tourist arrivals to Bali, according to Statista.
Up to this period, Australian tourists made around 260,000 visits to Bali.
And while many have deemed construction as a positive sign for the economy, there’s concerns that the seemingly never-ending conversion of natural landscape into tourism infrastructure will have an irreversible impact to life on the island, according to The Bali Sun.
Gary Bencheghib, a French filmmaker living in Indonesia, shared a now viral Instagram video showing Bali’s rice fields disappearing, after collating satellite imagery from the last two decades.
“Watch Bali’s rice fields disappear,” he captioned the post.
Gary, who is also part of a dedicated team called ‘Sungai Watch’— designed to protect waterways in Indonesia — continued: “I looked back at satellite imagery from the last 20 years, since I moved here, to see a very different Bali from today.”
The video is a timelaspe of images from 2002 to 2023 showing how much Canggu and its neighbouring seaside village and now hotspot, Pererenan, has changed over the years, with rice paddies, farmland, and rural villages replaced with hotels, restaurants, villas, and resorts.
“Development continues on every corner of the island with too little regulations. What will become of Bali if we continue to build so fast?” he asked his almost 1 million followers.
The post has been viewed 3 million times, sparking a heated debate among locals and foreigners.
Ultimately, many believe the island is struggling to strike a balance between preserving culture and natural landscapes and tourism development, which supports the local economy, The Bali Sun reports.
“I don’t understand. Are you worried because rice fields are gone ? (Were they source of food). Or are you worried new housing developments arising?” one woman asked, to which she was served a prompt explanation.
“If rampant unregulated development and removal of greenzones is allowed to continue then the local ecological effect is massive. Not only is ground water sucked dry, the lack of vegetation, soil and subak means flooding in rainy season, which results in increases breeding of mosquitoes and then diseases like dengue and other water borne diseases,” one person responded.
“Not to mention the fact people don’t think of concrete jungle when planning a Bali holiday, they think paradise, or at least used to.”
Another woman blamed it on “greed” claiming people are opening businesses “without thinking about the sustainable effects”.
“Whether it’s market segmentation based on data or sustainability in the environmental sector,” she lashed.
“Bali couldn’t survive without tourism, and I wish the government would realise that it’s about time we develop another income stream.”
She said visitors also play a big part in this.
“If you come to Bali, don’t expect avocado toast available on every corner. Try the local food and see Bali the way we see our home; it will make a big impact to avoiding massive development with no infrastructure.”
“When the demands aren’t there people will rethink twice to build things, we don’t need more restaurant, beach clubs and nightclub. We have enough.”
A Balinese local also chimed in, adding that while it’s “sad”, times have changed.
“When you look at the farmers perspective, being farmers is not enough, for daily life is okay, but being able to buy extra things is hard to do, and because of that, slowly the new generation prefer being a waitress or work in hotel, because it give more income than being farmer and I could say the fault is on the government, because they allowed a lot of green area (forbidden to building) to become villa or Restaurant because they bring more money (sic).”
It comes as the construction of a luxurious new villa in Pejukutan Village, was recently brought to a halt after foreign investors behind the project began building without being granted permission.
They had gone as far as to lay foundations and start building walls, before authorities shut it down.
According to the head of the Klungkung One-Stop Integrated Services Investment Service, I Made Sudiarkajaya, investors had only applied for a Business Identification Number and no further permits, licenses, or building applications.
However, once it applies for the all the necessary permits, construction will likely continue with the luxury villa to boast a helicopter landing pad and expansive swimming pool.
Meanwhile, Bali lovers were furious to learn a huge development had been approved in the village of Seseh, a relaxed seaside village known for its rice paddies and views of the Indian Ocean.
They claim the Taryan Dragon development would change the face of Seseh forever, impacting local flora and fauna, as well as increasing pollution of the quiet coastal village.
In a change.org petition, local resident Made Cemagi, wrote: “As an advocate for preserving the natural beauty and cultural heritage of Bali, I urge you to reconsider the approval of this development, which will jeopardise the unique charm and authenticity of this pristine beach and its surrounding area.”
It was supported by environmental activist Gary Bencheghib, who also shared a post claiming authentic beaches will soon “look like Dubai if we continue to let developments like these take place”.
The development group has since responded to the community appeal, “dispelling some of the myths and misunderstandings”.
They said the “project has been perceived as final” when in their view “there hasn’t been any official project announcement nor have we engaged in any communication or advertising in Bali.”
“What you see on our Instagram account is the vision of our British architect, a preliminary first concept of the future project,” the Instagram post read.
“We will take into consideration the opinions and advices of Balinese architects, representatives of the authorities, and the local community for the final version of the project. “Only after this stage will the project be officially presented.”
The topic of construction continues to be a hot topic in Bali with key political figures having also previously raised concerns about the level of development on the island.
During a seminar on the “100-Year Future Direction of Bali’s Development’ held in May, Indonesia’s fifth president Megawati Soekarnoputri, called for hotel construction to be stopped due to its environmental risks.
She also wanted investment to be refused and plans to create new tourist facilities (everything from villas to theme parks to cafes) brought to a halt.
But it appears her pleas won’t be granted.
“Bali is still attractive to investors to build tourism accommodation,” the chairman of Indonesia’s Hotel General Manager Association, Dr Yoga Iswara said at the time.
Although, according to The Bali Sun, he did not deny the risks involved.
“If Bali is damaged, then tourism will also be damaged and even die. Symptoms in that direction have begun to appear, for example, in terms of natural damage, traffic jams, garbage, and hotel [room rates] wars. Because of the desire to profit from tourism, anything is permissible; in the end, tourism dies,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Minster for Tourism and Creative Economies, Sandiaga Uno, has long been vocal about his commitment to sustainable development in the tourism sector in Bali.
Speaking at the International Tourism Investment Forum in late July, he said he wants to see investment and interest in Bali spread more evenly around the island.
He also noted that small-scale, sustainable tourism initiatives will be the future.