Bali, Indonesia

As one of the most popular tourist destinations, Bali fears overdevelopment of land, Indonesia has agreed to set a moratorium on the construction of hotels, villas, and nightclubs in some of its areas, a senior ministry official said. 

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After the COVID pandemic, tourism has peaked in Bali, however, concern has arisen about the strain visitors are putting on the local infrastructure, the environment, and culture. 

Hermin Esti, a senior official at the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime and Investment Affairs, told Reuters that the government had agreed to set the moratorium, although the exact timeline was still being discussed.

Moratorium suggested in four Bali's regions 

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Bali's interim governor, Sang Made Mahendra Jaya, said on Saturday that he has suggested the moratorium in four of Bali's busy areas to the central government, aiming at overdevelopment for commercial purposes, including hotels, villas and beach clubs. 

However, the governor's office and Indonesia's tourism ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday. 

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Senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan said that the moratorium could remain in place for up to a decade, reported news website Detik. However, the timeframe for the moratorium is still unclear. 

Moreover, there were 541 hotels in Bali last year, which is up from 507 in 2019.

Bali home to nearly 200,000 foreigners

Earlier, Luhut said that about 200,000 foreigners now live in Bali, and have also been contributing to crime, overdevelopment, and increased job competition. 

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According to the government statistics, 2.9 million foreign visitors have arrived through Bali airport in the first half of the year, making up 65 per cent of total foreign arrivals in Indonesia by air. 

(With inputs from agencies)