Tourism Development: Less is More

Bali Demonstrators Want Island Saved Through Moratorium on New Tourism Development

Bali News: Tourism Development: Less is More

(10/21/2011)

Tens of students from non-governmental agency calling itself the Gumi Bali Care Foundation (FPGB) held a “movement for a moratorium rally” on Sunday, October 16, 2011, on Renon square in downtown Denpasar, the capital of Bali.

Traveling on bicycles, the protestors carried posters proclaiming “Save Bali.”

“This action is intended to underline the need for Bali to introduce a moratorium on new tourism development which is beginning to pile up,” explained I Putu Hery Indrawan who coordinated the demonstration.

According to Indrawan, tourism accommodation supply undertaken by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in cooperation with Udayana University showed that as of December 2010, Bali had an over-capacity of rooms totaling 9,800 rooms.

The development of more facilities (hotels) will cause both social and ecological losses for Bali as such new building pay no attention to carrying capacity of Bali’s environment, explained Indrawan.

Indrawan said new projects must be stopped to prevent a severe over-supply problem in Bali.

Despite a declared moratorium on new hotel projects by Bali’s governor Made Mangku Pastika, regional administrations continue to issue new projects and permission has been given to new and massive Bali International Park Project in South Bali.

Source: Bali Discovery