I enjoyed learning about Bali as I didn’t know too much about the place before. I knew it was a tourist destination, but it was sad to see how much tourism has destroyed a beautiful culture and land so much. I have friends from Indonesia, and the food is amazing, but that is all I know about Indonesia, the culture, religion, and the people.
Tourism is described as short-term travel
for the purpose of recreation and relaxation. Bali is a very popular tourist
spot, but it was not always that way. Before tourism took over the small
island, it was occupied by farmers and lots of fields full of rice. In the
1970s surfers started coming to Bali as word spread that it was an amazing
place to surf. It is now in the top 6 places on earth named best for surfing
conditions. Back in the 1970s, there was only one 5-star hotel on the entire
island, and now there are 41 (at the time of the documentary). Big resorts have
taken over many of the rice fields, and slowly, they are destroying the
livelihood of the natives in Bali. They use up a lot of the water that is
needed for agriculture. The tourists also bring with them more pollution,
sewage problems, cooking oil accumulation in the water, and a garbage problem on
the island.
Hinduism
is the main
religion in Bali. The farmers believe that water and the rice, combined with
their religion, appease the Gods to keep the fields green and producing for
them. The greedy developers are buying up more land used for rice to build
resorts and tourist destinations. The developers are also encroaching on
religious sites on the island, which are supposed to be off-limits to them. The
politicians are looking at the other way as developers take more land for
tourism.
The
locals try to give the tourists authenticity when they perform
traditional dances and show the tourists the culture from their own
perspective.
I can see the good and the bad when it comes to tourism. The people in Bali want simple tourism and not big business. They want to be able to protect their island while still being able to show others their culture and customs. I have noticed an increase in visits to the National parks located here in Utah during Covid and how that has impacted the parks. The trash left behind by people who do not normally hike or visit parks shows me they have not learned the etiquette that accompanies someone who is fond of the outdoors. The increased traffic and full parking lots have also been a slight frustration to many, as well as the increase in inexperienced hikers who now travel on paths they really shouldn’t. Simple tourism sounds like a much better answer, but with the number of people wanting to travel and sightsee, that would be impossible in a lot of places.
Link:
https://documentary.net/video/bali-paving-paradise-is-mass-tourism-destroying-the-island/
[Written for GEOG 130G class UVU Spring 2022]
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