Australian visitors arriving in Bali are being warned that the Indonesian island could erupt in anti-tourism protests by locals following demonstrations in major European tourist destinations.
There has been widespread public concern in Bali over inappropriate behaviour by tourists and failure to comply with visa regulations.
Local authorities in European tourist hotspots such as Venice, Amsterdam and Barcelona have introduced stricter rules and taxes for tourists in recent years.
Residents in these areas are increasingly angry that accommodation prices are prohibitively high and public areas are overrun by crowds of tourists.
On July 6, residents of Barcelona were seen firing water pistols at tourists dining outdoors, while mass protests against the large number of arrivals have taken place in the Spanish-ruled Canary Islands.
Now a travel expert has warned that Australians’ favourite overseas holiday destination could be hit by similar unrest.
“There is a distinct possibility that locals will start to express their frustrations with tourists directly and start to indicate that they would prefer tourists to do different things or go somewhere else,” said Australian Traveller Media chief executive Quentin Long. Yahoo reported.
But IndonesiaTourism and Creative Economies Minister Sandiaga Uno told reporters on July 17 that such European-style protests have no place on the “Island of the Gods.” The sun of Bali reported.
Australians are warned that protests against European-style tourism are possible on the island (pictured: tourists in Sanur, Bali)
Bali’s tourism minister wants tourists to be more spread out across the island, but he doesn’t want locals to protest against visitors (pictured, tourists in Bali visiting the Pura Batu temple in Bali)
“Things like this shouldn’t happen in Bali, because if people feel uncomfortable with the presence of tourists, bad behaviour will occur,” he said.
«In fact, tourism is one of Bali’s economic drivers.»
To reduce animosity between local communities and tourists, Minister One wants to see tourism distributed more equitably.
The minister wants to see rapid progress on new roads “so that tourists will not only concentrate on the south of Bali but also on the west.”
Mr Uno believes that the bad behaviour of some tourists also needs to be addressed immediately.
“Tourists coming to Indonesia should adjust their goals. If they deviate from their goals (of tourism activities), for example (by working here), measures should be taken,” he said.
Mr Long said that although Balinese authorities do not want local citizens to protest, that does not mean they will not take to the streets to demonstrate against overtourism.
“There has been a lot of disrespectful behaviour in Bali. People are not dressed appropriately in temples or are taking inappropriate selfies,” she said.
Protesters in Barcelona, Spain, fired water pistols at foreign tourists along Las Ramblas and the city centre, which the Spanish government has condemned (pictured)
Barcelona residents protested on July 6 because tourists have driven up housing prices and they can no longer afford to live in the city (pictured, the tourist spot Las Ramblas)
“Drinking too many cocktails, being almost drunk and treating locals disrespectfully, driving mopeds while intoxicated, etc., all of these things happen in Bali.”
In Europe, protests by fed-up tourists were prompted by the inability to buy housing in cities as homes were being converted into short-term rentals listed on platforms such as Airbnb, while local cafes and restaurants were raising prices to levels that only free-spending tourists are willing to pay.
In Barcelona, locals marched down the busy tourist avenue of Las Ramblas and through the city centre, chanting “tourists, go home” as some popular restaurants surrounded them.
A group of about 12 people threw water pistols at people they believed to be foreign tourists, which was condemned by the Spanish government.
Spain’s Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu Boher said the protesters did not “represent the country’s culture of hospitality,” he said. Reuters.
Venice has also been the scene of considerable resentment against the large number of tourists, with a proposal to double the tax on hotel stays to €10 a night, and also charge a fee to enter the city during popular periods.