Visit Bali and Destroy It
Pura Tirta Empul, the Temple of the Holy Water, Bali
There are two great articles in this week’s Bali Discovery Bali Update which pick up on my theme of sustainable tourism.
The first piece, Bali: Choose Tradition Before Innovation, is a free translation of an article written by Professor Dr. Ir. Wayan Windia, M.S., a member of the agricultural faculty of Bali’s Udayana University, that first appeared in the Bali Post. Titled “Let’s Destroy Bali?”
In case you don’t have time to read it, in summary, he is arguing ironically that rather than trying to protect Balinese tradition why not save time by destroying the island now.
“In Bali, if our surviving principles needed to protect Bali’s culture and founded on idealism are changed only out of pragmatic considerations (to protect the interests of investors), then Bali is already sitting precariously on the precipice of its own destruction.
But, then again, if everyone’s in agreement, let’s all heave-ho and destroy Bali. Let’s not keep the investors and migrants waiting; just get it over with and demolish the island. In this way we can at least end the interminable debate about standing up for Bali.”
And then almost as if in support of this discourse, in the other article Tourism as Villain in Bali’s Environmental Degradation Bali Discovery reports that:
the Executive Director of the Environmental Watchdog Group WALHI, Agung Wardana, has blamed tourism as the main cause of Bali’s deteriorating environmental quality. Quoted in BisnisBali, Wardana said: “the most obvious problem is water. Water in Bali is chiefly consumed by tourism, creating a conflict between the tourism industry and the Balinese people.”
Clarifying his concerns, Wardana explained that each hotel room in Bali represents the consumption of 3,000 liters of water each day and each golf course demands three million liters of water a day. This contrasts sharply with the mere 200 liters of water a day used by the average Balinese.
Wardana added: “The current tourism policy must be re-evaluated. If the same system of growing tourism is allowed to continue, the impact will be widespread. Thus, we have to find a new development model.”
I suppose I am an idealist: my perception of Bali is of an artistic and gentle place where the locals lead a spiritual lifestyle. I think it’s great that planning regulations put a limit on the height of buildings and that the Governor of Bali wants to see an airport that emphasises Balinese architecture and which puts the community first. I do believe Balinese tradition should be protected. Yet I can argue too that tourism can bring benefits to more remote communities.
So is it possible to find a balance between the benefits of tourism and the pressures that it puts on both the infrastructure and the fabric of the host community? Is it inevitable that if we visit Bali, ultimately we destroy it? I shall keep my idealist’s hat on and say “Yes, it is possible to find a balance”; but what do you think?
Photo source: thebigdurian (Creative Commons)
