I’m reading, feet up, my Kindle in one hand. I hear clapping. I look up and see a child being lifted by two adults, his arms shooting up in the sky. His smile is that of a hero who has just conquered the ocean. This young boy has just won today’s surfing competition.
A wave of digital nomads, bar staff, surfers, and local and foreign tourists join in and the clapping gets louder. My smile gets wider. I add a few whistles to his victory. I am reminded of why I live in Bali.
Today, on Echo Beach, I am witnessing the making of a very young man who will remember this moment for the rest of his life… a moment where a community of locals and Bulés (foreigners), stopped all they were doing to celebrate his achievement.
But my smile soon disappears. In one month, all the beach bars that so many of us love and have supported before and throughout Covid will be destroyed. This last stretch of authentic paradise is being ‘cleaned up’.
Our bamboo roofs, our sticky chairs, and our wonky tables will all be burned to the ground. For what? A brand-new, modern and more lucrative ‘brick and concrete’ development with double the number of rentable units. A great thing for the local economy? Not really…
I am a Lecturer and International Expert in Responsible Tourism. I have worked for the United Nations and other similar organisations, as well as several governments on all continents. I have visited over 70 countries and specialise in small island destinations.
Part of my job is to study tourism trends. I keep on top of what tourists look for. Today, more than ever, visitors (domestic and international) seek to experience something that feels special and different: something to remember, that stands out. Asian travellers are particularly attracted by sites that are instagrammable, which they can share with friends and family.
In tourism, the ‘look’ of a place matters a lot. Tourists love to take pictures of innovative buildings or unique and untouched landscapes. However, they only spend their hard-earned money in the places that radiate a specific type of energy: one that makes them feel welcomed, safe, relaxed and happy.
So, what tourists connect most with, is not only ‘the look’ but essentially the ‘atmosphere’ of the places they visit. In fact, a tourism destination can only be successful when tourists feel they’re home and belong… when they come back again and again, in and outside of the season, even in times of crisis. Their attachment is emotionally-driven. This is what ensures the real long-term financial success of a destination.
One of the reasons that France has remained the number one travel destination in the world for over 50 years, is because you can sense the ‘atmosphere’ in every village, market, café and small shop you visit. And that atmosphere is different in every region, which is why tourists keep on revisiting. None of the places you visit is designed for tourists: they are designed by and for the communities that live there, which gives them their unique character.
Communities like those you find on Echo beach, where I am now.
Communities of residents, tourists and digital nomads, who seek meaning and beauty in authenticity and simplicity; who love to connect by exchanging stories about the seas. People who come to work or surf daily, amongst the barking dogs, on a stretch of Bali where everyone is equal under the sun. This development is robbing all of them of an affordable place to connect… but I’m sure that the big and expensive beach resorts are licking their lips at the prospect of greater supremacy!
Communities of waiters, of staff who know my name because I’ve become part of the furniture. Staff who are all about to lose their jobs, even though they made this beach a second home to many.
Communities of entrepreneurs who worked hard to build and sustain their small businesses, despite many challenges (from volcano eruptions to earthquakes, from fires to pandemics). They are losing everything they created.
With rent set to increase ten-fold (from 7 million to 70 million IDR p.a.), they can’t afford to stay. It would be suicidal to take a loan – even if they could get one – at a time when the future of tourism is still shaky.
To add insult to injury, the destruction will commence on 01 July, at the peak of the tourist season, robbing all local businesses of the only chance they had to recuperate some of the money they lost during Covid.
But there is worse: the vendors are expecting to do all the demolishing work themselves… as if the pill wasn’t already too painful to digest!
It’s sunset now.
A dad is teaching his son how to surf. Five Javanese tourists are tipping one toe at a time in the ocean, screaming, laughing and slowly making friends with the water. A mum is running after her tiny daughter who like Moana, is not listening and seeks adventures. An old Balinese couple is rubbing sand on their bodies and on that of their grandchildren.
I see Kira, my favourite waitress, whose arms make me feel at home, and whom I won’t be able to kiss and hug when she feels sad and lonely. I see Nyoman, my favourite waiter, who is slowly saving money to open his own bar. I see the dreams that will be crushed and the jobs that will be lost. As if Covid had not done enough damage already!
Made is roasting corn, Bagus is walking towards me with delicious homemade cookies I can’t resist. Mo is selling bracelets and necklaces. Wayan is taking pictures of novice surfers. Nyoman is giving foot massages. Ketut is playing music on his deck for his clients.
Some people are aware, some not, that the magic they feel and witness tonight, will soon vanish… but not one person on this beach wants all that we have to disappear. Not one. We love it because it’s real. There is no pretence. There is no make-up. That’s why we show up, day after day.
When people with power and money choose to destroy places that make people happy, they don’t only destroy buildings, they kill the home, the heart and soul of thriving communities.
You see, the more you replace the old with the new, to make it look ‘prettier’ – as a way to justify unwanted investments – the more you erase the charm, uniqueness and authenticity that attract tourists and residents alike. Beauty can never be found in the sanitisation of people and places.
As humans, our beauty exists in the unique traits we hold inside of us: it can never be replaced by plastic surgery. We marry the men or women who make us laugh, who have a personality that makes us vibrate. When we go for ‘look’ only, the relationship doesn’t last. You leave unfulfilled and disappointed.
Throughout the pandemic, I read plenty of articles claiming that many countries were eager to learn from past mistakes to develop tourism more sustainably. I didn’t believe a word of it, especially in the context of smaller destinations like Bali. In fact, I predicted the opposite – that there would be a mad gold rush to make up for lost time and money. What investor would be mad enough to reject the opportunity to buy land and tourism businesses at massively discounted prices?
There are so many alternative investment initiatives, which would elevate Bali and make it shine globally!
Imagine investing in the rubbish collection to clean the ocean and the beaches littered with plastic. Imagine using waste as raw material to manufacture innovative products. Imagine Bali becoming a beacon of technological sustainability…
Imagine investing in teaching local souvenir vendors how to source and sell beautiful products made in Bali (not China); products, which reflect the culture and skilled expertise passed through generations. Imagine a people preserving their unique heritage proudly, in a way that brings them high-income streams…
Imagine investing in land ownership for the purpose of creating a network of trails that would open urban visitors to rural tourism. Imagine contributing to increasing the health of a nation. Imagine reducing cardiovascular diseases and respiratory infections – the biggest killers in this country – by offering domestic tourists a chance to do more exercise and improve their diet…
Why is it that we always fail to imagine what could be best and opt to implement what is worst?
Because it is all too creative, too innovative, too complicated, too much hard work – no immediate return on investment! Who wants to build a meaningful legacy for the good of present and future generations when you can make easy and quick money?
In Asia, there is a history of natural disasters being used to appropriate land of high value at the cheapest possible price. It’s happening again… right under our noses and it smells bad: sadly, it looks like greed wins all the time, even on an island where it is the Gods that should decide.
Tourists come to Bali to connect with its unique blend of spiritual harmony and authentic beauty… something that is heartfelt, not made by money (we are not in Dubai or Miami).
I hope that one day – very soon – the Gods make their voices heard to stop another kind of pandemic: that of the slow and persistent eradication of what makes this island truly special: the unseen sacred thread of openness that links all its communities.
I hope they wake up to stop the slow death of Bali.
P.S. All names in this article have been changed to ensure confidentiality!
The greedy human race.
Will we ever stop before it all looks the same?.. and what about the Balinese?
Thanks for the feedback.
Good read, thank you for sharing your personal and professional perspectives on this.
Being someone who has been visiting Bali and staying at a local’s home for over 30 years, I totally agree with all the points you’ve made here.
The Balanese are amazing people, their culture is charming and the lands are Magestical. Unfortunately, the lack of insight into community development and infrastructure has turned much of the postcode paradise into an instagrammable photo which needs multiple filters to make it look good.
Even though on my last trip I went to some of the smaller Islands, the oceans around Bali Island is filthy. Upstream the waterways are disgusting and yet the big corporations continue to build without consideration to the impacts on infrastructure and community.
As an optimist, I would have thought that like the tsunami in Phuket, the shutdown of Bali due to covert wasn’t ideal opportunity for the government to reassess the situation and plough millions of dollars into infrastructure to accommodate the intended influx of tourists there after.
Has it happened, no. Just like the old airport which we grew to love but was incredibly inefficient, if I remember correctly you took them more than 20 years to give it a decent upgrade to accommodate….
Anyway, I love Bali, the people, and the family that I have connected with there and will always revisit. Although, I will definitely not be hanging around the usual places, I gave that up years ago and highly recommend anybody going to Bali to explore the island, feel the spirit and give back in anyway possible.
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This is so sad. Happening everywhere unfortunately- a ‘cleanup’ and modernization of our iconic markets in Melbourne a perfect example
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I moved to Berawa in 2000.None of those huts/ warungs were there .
Berawa was a dead end. No road to Petitenget or short cut to Canggu. Land was 24million rp per 100mtrs…now up 900 million.
Gaja Putih was a large villa where Finns Beach Club is now.Lucky to find more than 4 people on the beach there anytime.
Point is, with the increase if land prices, locals( family members/Balinese) have been forced out of their rental accommodation to enable more shops to feed / clothe the masses arriving in the area.So, am l sorry for the huts on the beach going, not as much as others that were forced away from the area long before now.
I also hope that now that terrible cafe, Echo beach has been pulled d of down, people start calling the beach in Canggu, Batu Mejan, which is what it is.
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Well written! On a similiar thread, I was just in Ubud and seeing the space where the traditional market used to be made me very sad (and frustrated!) That market was the heartbeat of the community and one of the reasons visitors came to Ubud. I’ve been told there is a shopping type mall being built on that site. In my opinion that is a travesty and very short sighted. Mostly, I am very sad for the local people of Ubud. To lose this iconic market to be replaced with something you can find anywhere doesn’t seem well thought out.
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Imagine Bali as a green island with no pesticides at all. No plastics
And millions colourful birds will be back.
Imagine Bali as a paradise where all lifes will be sacred
An healthy, holly island for unique and magic experiences
Possible dreams in such a tiny island
Bali the Island of Gods !
Thanks for the comment. We feel the same way about Bali
Thanks a billion Carole,
Such a brilliant ideas. I was born and grow up in Eastern Part of Bali. I am the witness of a lot of things changed not from brilliant ideas. So sad to me but don’t have power to speak. We are now starting the tourism based on them like you said, we will be more than welcome if you could visit us Bungaya village Karangasem, may be tou also could share some ideas for the untouchable village where I live now. Wish your written will be heard by Bali authorities. All the best.
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Very well written. It exactly what I think of Bali now. We were in canggu last week and compared to last two years huge difference. And we decided to leave bali.
Trash will be more and no one talk about it, everyone seems to party in the beach club with Influencers hence no influencer really do anything about protecting Bali or conservation beauty of that. BALI HAS LOSES IT SOUL MORE AND MORE
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Thanks for this article. I totally agree with your observations about insensitive development. It profits International developers at the expense of locals and ruins the environment in the process. We are traveling to Bali soon and would love to help with cleaning up rubbish and encouraging better waste management. Does anyone have any ideas about how this can be done?
Thank you for the feedback. You can start by creating an event for this.
40 years ago we did a trip to GLand and stopped on a bridge on Bali where we could see dump trucks lined up dumping trash into a river. You could virtually walk across the river on the trash. Trade winds tend to push it out to sea. But when the trades turn onshore tge trash is pushed back to shore. Such a shame to see this happening even back 40 years ago. We use to go to Nusa lembongan back then and there was only a small village in the jungle. Would walk along the beach and stay with locals. Been going every year and watched the seaweed farms disappear and plastic overtake the island. Such a shame. Beautiful places get ruined by tourism. Seen this happen over and over again.
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I’ve lived in Canggu for the past two and a half years, and my heart sank when hearing the news. This article is spot on, and beautifully articulated. Thank you for the good read!
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