New bans to be introduced in Bali as Indonesia agree to a moratorium on development

The Indonesian Government has agreed to bring in tough new bans to some areas of Bali as the international tourist mecca grapples with overdevelopment of the island.

Co-ordinating Ministry of Maritime and Investment Affairs senior official Hermin Esti told Reuters the government had agreed to temporarily ban the development of hotels, villas and nightclubs in some areas of the island.

While they agreed to a moratorium, Mr Esti said they were still discussing a timeline for the ban.

Indonesian senior minister Luhut Pandajaitan told Detik the moratorium could be in place for about five to ten years.

He said there were about 200,000 expatriates living in Bali which had contributed to crime, overdevelopment and competition for jobs on the island.

Bali’s interim governor Sang Made Mahendra Jaya said he put forward the moratorium to the central government, and suggested it be implemented in four of Bali’s busiest areas.

He was critical of the overdevelopment of hotels, villas, and beach clubs for commercial purposes.

Bali is one of Indonesia’s top tourist attractions that brings millions of international visitors to the nation each year.

More than 2.9 million foreigners visited Bali in the first half of this year.

Recently, the government has been trying to reform over-tourism on Bali to improve quality, jobs and preserve Balinese culture.

Indonesia introduced a $15 tourist tax to foreign visitors entering Bali to improve sustainability and visitor experiences.

The Bali Sun also reported data from the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association showed there were 3500 registered hotels in Bali.

For months tourism leaders have been calling for change to how building and development permits were granted to tourism businesses.

It stated people felt the current rate of tourism development in Bali was unsustainable and on track to disaster.