One of world’s prettiest islands says ‘no new hotels for 10 years' in overtourism crisis

The popular island of Bali has agreed to set a moratorium on the construction of hotels, villas and nightclubs in some of its most popular tourist resorts in a bid to tackle over-tourism.

The moratorium forms part of the government’s bid to reform tourism in one of Indonesia’s main attractions, to boost quality and job opportunities while preserving the island’s indigenous culture.

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

On Saturday, Bali’s interim governor Sang Made Mahendra Jaya said he suggested the moratorium in four of Bali’s busy areas to the central government, directing concerns at over-development for commercial purposes, including hotels, villas and beach clubs.

The governor’s office and Indonesia’s tourism ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday, The Independent reported.

The moratorium may stretch to up to a decade, senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan said on Sunday, according to the news website Detik.

Luhut added that approximately 200,000 foreigners now live in Bali, contributing to problems such as crime, over-development and competition for jobs. Foreigners have flooded into Bali since it reopened after the Covid-19 pandemic.

This has been attributed to reasons including its tropical climate, and slower pace of life with many beaches, the affordable cost of living compared to many Western countries and friendly locals. It has also intrigued many digital nomads, with many coworking spaces, libraries and coffee shops.

Videos of badly-behaved tourists often go viral on social media, angering residents in Indonesia. In March 2023, Bali announced it planned to ban tourists from riding motorbikes over bad behaviour, with several tourists having broken traffic laws.

Government figures show 2.9 million foreign visitors arrived through Bali airport in the first half of 2024, making up 65 percent of total foreign arrivals in Indonesia by air.

Figures also show that there were 541 hotels on the island last year, an increase of 34 from 2019.

Earlier in September, Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno said that the government wished to avoid “a situation like Barcelona, where tourists became public enemies,” national news agency Antara reported.

Senior minister Luhut said the government also planned to tackle rubbish problems on the island, improve infrastructure and prevent further over-development.

“We don’t want to see paddy fields become a villa or become a nude club,” he said. “For us, quality is more important than numbers.”