Australian visitors to Bali are being warned that the Indonesian island could erupt into anti-tourist protests by locals following demonstrations across European holiday hotspots.
There has been significant public disquiet in Bali over inappropriate behavior by tourists and breaking of visa rules.
Local authorities in European tourist magnets such as Venice, Amsterdam and Barcelona have introduced stricter rules and taxes for tourists in recent years.
Residents in those areas have become increasingly angry at being priced out of accommodation and having public areas overrun by throngs of tourists.
Barcelona residents were seen shooting water pistols at tourists dining al fresco on on July 6, while there have been mass protests in the Spanish-run Canary Islands against huge numbers of arrivals.
Now a travel expert has warned that Australians’ favourite overseas getaway destination could see similar unrest.
‘There’s a distinct possibility that locals could 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 managing director Quentin Long, Yahoo reported.
But Indonesia’s Minister for Tourism and Creative Economies, Sandiaga Uno, told the press on July 17 that such European-style protests do not belong on the ‘Island of the Gods’, The Bali Sun reported.
Aussies are being warned that European-style protests against tourism are a possibility on the island (pictured, tourists in Sanur, Bali)
Bali’s tourism minister wants tourists to be more spread out across the island but does not want locals to protest against visitors (pictured, tourists in Bali visiting Pura Batu temple in Bali)
‘Things like that should not happen in Bali. Because if people feel uncomfortable with the presence of tourists, bad excesses emerge,’ he said.
‘In fact, tourism is one of the economic drivers in Bali.’
In order to reduce animosity between local communities and tourists, Minister Uno wants to see tourism spread out more evenly.
The minister wants new roads to progress rapidly ‘so that tourists are not only concentrated in South Bali but also in West Bali’.
The bad behaviour of some tourists also needs to be dealt with straight away, Mr Uno believes.
‘Tourists who come must adjust their goals in coming to Indonesia. If you deviate from your goals [of tourism activities] – for example [by working here – action must be taken,’ he said.
Mr Long noted that although the Balinese authorities do not want local citizens to protest, it does not mean they won’t take to the streets to speak out against over-tourism.
‘There’s been a lot of disrespectful behaviour in Bali. You get people not being dressed appropriately in temples or taking inappropriate selfies,’ he said.
Protesters in Barcelona, Spain squirted water guns at foreign tourists along Las Ramblas and the city centre, which the Spanish government has condemned (pictured)
Locals in Barcelona protested on July 6 about how tourists have driven up housing prices and they could no longer afford to live in the city (pictured, the tourist hotspot of Las Ramblas)
‘Having too many cocktails and being basically drunk and treating locals disrespectfully. Driving while intoxicated on mopeds, you name it, it happens in Bali.’
In Europe, protests by fed-up tourists were prompted by the unaffordability of housing in cities due to homes being converted to short-term lets listed on platforms like Airbnb, while local cafes and restaurants jack up prices to levels that only free-spending tourists will pay.
In Barcelona, locals marched through the busy tourist avenue of Las Ramblas and the city centre, chanting ‘tourists go home’, with some surrounding popular restaurants.
A group of about 12 squirted water pistols at people they thought were foreign tourists which was condemned by the Spanish Government.
Spain’s Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu Boher said the protesters didn’t ‘represent the country’s culture of hospitality,’ reported Reuters.
Venice too has seen considerable resentment against huge numbers of tourists, with a proposal to double the tax on hotel stays to 10 euros per night, and an access fee to the city is also charged in popular periods.
Source link
CHECK OUT: Top Travel Destinations
READ MORE: Travel News
