The negative impact of mass tourism in Bali

I do love Bali, that’s no secret, and yes, I am a tourist myself when travelling to this island. That’s why I want to talk about mass tourism in Bali today. First of all, tourism in Bali has its good and bad effects. I mentioned before that Bali isn’t the number one destination for you if you want to learn a lot about the culture and experience what life in Indonesia is like. What I do like about Bali is the fact, that it is influenced by Indonesian as well as Australian and European people and many more. But this influence, as well as all the tourists, aren’t good in any way. There are a few bad effects of mass tourism, and today I want to talk about them.

Overcrowding is a problem in Bali

Bali isn’t an insider’s tip anymore, many people are travelling to this beautiful island every year, and they are coming from all over the world. Due to that more and more hotels, restaurants, villas and other buildings are put up. Other than that beaches are overcrowded, streets are way too busy, and it may take you an hour to drive five kilometres. More people also lead to more rubbish and more waste as well as their environmental problems.

Nature is being destroyed

Due to all the new buildings being build up in Bali, a lot of nature is being destroyed. Rice fields and terraces have to make room for new hotels, restaurants, villas etc. and in some parts of the island, you won’t find any palm trees close to the beach as they built up hotels where once were palm trees.

Pollution is getting worse

It’s no secret that Bali has a huge problem with plastic. More tourists lead to more rubbish, and unfortunately, a lot of the rubbish ends up in the rivers of Bali, and during the raining season all the rubbish ends up in the ocean. As much as I know, the government is trying to solve this problem and clean up rivers, beaches as well as the ocean, but it’s just too much. Another problem is the air pollution caused by all the motorcycles and cars used not only by locals but also by tourists. And these are only two examples of the pollution problems in Bali.

Other negative impact

– Increase in criminals, prostitution and drugs.
– Foreign cultures affect the Balinese culture.
– Tourists are disrespecting Balinese culture.

What you can do to help the island

Okay, there are so many things you can do, but let me just name a few of the most simple things:
– Don’t waste water! Use it wisely.
– Try to avoid plastic. Don’t take plastic bags when going to the supermarket or buy something in a store or at a market. Always bring your own bag or buy one you can reuse.

– Always put your trash in a trash can. And if you see something on the beach or ground, pick it up and put it in the next trash can. If we all do it, there would be so much less trash ending up in the ocean.
– Respect the culture! If you want to visit a temple, dress modestly. Make sure your shoulders, upper arms, waist and legs are covered when entering the temple.
– Don’t buy and don’t take drugs in Bali! It actually is not allowed on the island.
– Do not only eat Western food when in Bali but also try the local food.

These are only a few examples of the negative aspects of mass tourism in Bali. There are many more, and I also could get more into detail, but that’s not what I wanted to do with this post. I just wanted to make you think about a few things. I want you to have these negative aspects in mind when travelling to Bali. We must not forget, that we are only guests on this island and we should behave like this. I don’t want to say, that you can’t or shouldn’t travel to Bali. Not everything about tourism in Bali is bad; it also has it’s good aspects. It just is too easy to forget or to ignore the negative impact we (can) have.

P.S.: In tomorrow’s post I will talk about the good impact of tourism in Bali to show you that not everything about it is bad. Also, I hope you guys will enjoy the outfit pictures even though the topic I was writing about here is very negative.