How is Bali developing?
Living in Bali I have seen the level of visitors increase over the last year and a half.
That is good for business and I hope it continues for the benefit of the people here, but a certain side of me thinks an opportunity has been missed.
I remember coming to Bali in 1993 and visiting Kuta, Ubud, Lovina and Padangbai. Back then people were saying ‘Bali is over developed, Bali is too touristy.’ Those places I mentioned were hotspots for tourists and if those were the only places you visited it could seem that way.
In the following 11 years there has been a lot of development especially in the Legian, Seminyak, Kerobokan, Canggu and Jimbaran areas. The places I mentioned going to actually seems quiet these days because of the overall drop in tourism.
If I could wish for 3 things that Baliblog and my efforts could help it would be 1) To help preserve the natural state of Bali, 2) to help preserve the Balinese culture, 3) to help develop a sustainable and desirable economy.
1) Mass tourism has led to ‘ribbon development’ along major roads and over development of any type of business that looks like making money, whether it be guest houses in Candi Dasa, seafood restaurants in Jimbaran or handcraft shops in Kuta. Problems arise when those arriving planes are no longer full of passengers and everyone is scratching their heads wondering what went wrong.
The period since the bombings has provided time for reflection and assessment or what works, what doesn’t and the way things are going. I would wish that the government would take a lead and offer guidance, make rules and promote quality. I don’t think this is happening and it is a chance lost.
What would I like to see? Firstly people come to Bali because they have a vision of paradise. Real or not something like what most people imagine can be found somewhere in Bali and we must preserve that. I’d like to see the government working with the banjars to zone certain areas. No concrete walls ripping through scenic locations, no 2 storey cement buildings close to temples etc. I’d like to see a law similar to the one where I used to live in Santa Barbara CA whereby all buildings must incorporate certain elements of traditional style, not just be a ragtag bunch of cheap blocks. The Indonesian government sees Bali as a cash cow, but the cow will die if you don’t take care of it.
I would like to see a massive campaign to protect the environment. Reduce, re use, recycle ought to be the mantra. For some strange reason all of the little village convenience stores sell ‘one serving’ packets of spices, shampoo and other daily use items. This is not only the most expensive way to distribute a product, it is the most environmentaly unfriendly and you can see these plastic packets in streams and even in rice paddies where they have flowed with the water from higher elevations. I talk to enough tourists and hear the same complaints…garbage on the streets and beaches and vendors who are too aggressive. Maybe the government doesn’t care but the paying customers do.
Water quality and air quality are super important as are protecting the endangered species. The Green Sea Turtles could be an attraction themselves if the locals stopped eating them.
2) I support helping the Balinese to keep the traditions and ceremonies as a priority.
3) Rice production and tourism will be forever a part of Bali’s economy, but how that development goes will depend on how much the free wheeling market is allowed to career out of control. With little restrictions on building anyone can buy land and do what they like in many cases. I would like to see a focus on quality rather than quantity. This is already happening in some industries such as Spas, where a high dollar value is paid for the service. Also industries like the small market gardens found in the higher elevations growing the salad items for hotels and delis.
Lessons should of been learned from Kuta, Candi Dasa and Jimbaran. Quality will last and the fast buck can easily be taken away. Giving locals the education to write a business plan, to begin to assess the market, the competition and the probabilities at work before heading into business. All this will help the locals and Bali in the long run.
When I walk down Jl. Legian people are calling out to me ‘you want taxi boss, you want t-shirt boss.’ I’m not their boss and I don’t want a 10 cent t-shirt. I suspect they would prefer not to go through life calling foreigners ‘boss’ or selling junk. The government needs to take this economic ’speed bump’ we are experiencing and use it to re direct the development of the island into a more educated and desirable end result.
By Sean | Permalink
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Comments
Nick you are quite correct in what you have stated. The thing is when there is an economic slump as is due to the reduced number of tourists coming to Bali some Balinese people are having to be even more forceful in directing their business your way i.e. Street vendors who have always been around Bali
are still there in the same numbers, around the beeches , restaurants and streets but are focused on even less tourists which results in the following ;
Remaining and much needed tourists find that what has always been a niggling problem (hassling street vendors who dont take no for answer) is now even more of a problem as people are not being educated or redirected to other channels but instead fight even harder with every other vendor to get your buck. Now yes i have no doubt Bali is an idylic paradise for many, but surely when your lying on a secluded beach with just the surf pounding the sands and a cool breeze fanning over you the last thing you need is a couple of hawker sitting at the end of your sunbed saying “want nice shirt boss, want drink boss, want anything boss ? ”
Then you reply “Yes just some bloody peace to lie and take in the beauty and sounds of this lovely beach please BOSS !
Yes i agree Nick it is time for someone in Government to take stock while there is slowdown and channel the peolple in to a work force productive in making Bali even more attractive to future tourists.
G’Day Nick,
Well expressed my friend. I particularly like the 3 R’s Mantra. I can see where Jen is coming from and there are strong possibilities she is correct. We are lucky in so many ways being brought up in western society and being educated. Every child does deserve an education even if its to basic levels.
Nick, there was a near disaster of a problem with the water situation in the 90’s when the water table was becoming dangerously low. I never did find out what was done to rectify that situation and I sure would like to know.
Knowledge on recycling, infrastructure, planning, pollution control, business projections for the future etc are subjects we in the west take for granted as most of us have been blessed
by attending schools, Uni’s, Tafe, courses etc etc.
Many of Bali’s problems stem from lack of education.
There is a copycat mentality in Bali. Locals see something that appears to work and off they go until the market place is flooded with the same idea and theme.
I would like to see all Balinese have the opportunity to attend school! Its a right every child is entitled and far too many people in Bali have not had that opportunity.
Is it the Governments way of surpressing the peoples? Hmmmm