Balinese community leaders have called on the government to implement policies that encourage sustainable tourism on the island.
“We urgently need government policies to seriously take control of the rapid development of Bali tourism,” said Bali Community Leaders Alliance (ATMB) coordinator Agung Suryawan Wiranatha.
Established last year, many Balinese community leaders have joined in the alliance, including tourism practitioners.
Among the alliance’s recommendations is a moratorium on new hotel construction in southern Bali. It said that Bali needed to stop developing new tourist accommodation for at least the next five to 10 years.
“Unfortunately, the development of Bali tourism is not being controlled. We allege that there are many hotels operating without legal permits. The development of new facilities also tends to damage the surrounding environment,” Agung said.
Besides a moratorium on new hotel construction, the alliance also urged the government to consistently enforce Bali’s spatial planning and culture tourism bylaws, which were aimed to protect the region’s culture and nature from uncontrolled development.
Read the original article: Bali tourism development getting out of control: Communities – The Jakarta Post
