Bali officials are petitioning the government to grant the province special autonomous status for tourism. Local leaders say this will help them manage the island in an environmentally sustainable, economically prosperous and beneficial way for local people.
Bali’s designation as a Special Autonomous Tourism Region aims to manage all tourism development options in a coherent and unified manner by a single agency. This helps ensure that all tourism planning and decisions are made systematically and consistently.
Bali becomes a special autonomous tourism region with the aim of managing all tourism development options.
Currently, Bali is developing rapidly but lacks scale and sustainability due to inconsistencies in spatial planning and building permits. These plans and permits are often issued without a comprehensive and unified vision, leading to uneven and unsustainable development.
One of the most obvious examples of this lack of uniformity is the way hotel and accommodation business licenses are issued in Bali, pointed out the head of the Denpasar Investment and One Stop Service, Ida Bagus Benny Pidada Rurus. Currently, these licenses are issued without a unified master plan, leading to chaos and lack of control in the development of tourism facilities.
Bali tourism is growing, attracting many tourists to visit.
If granted special autonomous status, Bali will be able to have greater autonomy in managing and developing its tourism industry. This will not only help protect the island’s environment and natural resources, but also promote economic prosperity and improve the quality of life for local people. Planning and licensing decisions will be made in a unified and long-term manner, ensuring that Bali’s development is sustainable and benefits all stakeholders.
With its natural landscape, pristine beaches and affordable prices, Bali has long been one of the most popular destinations in Indonesia and Asia, welcoming 11.4 million visitors in 2023. In 2024, the government aims to welcome 14 million visitors.
Bali Statistics Agency data shows that arrivals to the island reached nearly 470,000 in March, up more than 3% from February. April was the busiest month in 2024 for Bali's airport, with more than 1.1 million international passengers and more than 830,000 domestic visitors.
