Bali seeks two-year ban on building new hotels and clubs to slow down overcrowding, report says

New rules by Bali’s provincial government will put a two-year-long ban on building new hotels and clubs to slow down overcrowding.

Bali’s provincial government is proposing a temporary ban on the construction of new hotels, villas, discos and beach clubs to slow down the pace of land development and overcrowding in the island, according to a report by Indonesia’s state news agency Antara.

Bali puts a temporary ban on building new hotels and clubs

The moratorium would run for as long as two years and cover Bali’s most heavily populated tourist areas, including Canggu, Seminyak, Uluwatu and Ubud, Antara said, quoting Acting Governor Sang Made Mahendra Jaya. The plan has been submitted to the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs, which has responded positively to the idea, he added.

According to Jaya, swathes of Bali’s rice fields have been turned into commercial land, often without the necessary approvals from the provincial government. Unregulated alcohol sales have also worsened unruly behaviour and crime on the island, he said.

Recently, the country announced an audit to reform tourism and preserve local culture and jobs. "Foreign tourists who bring problems here, such as narcotics, gangs, and other issues, we can deport them from Indonesia, from Bali, and we don't want them to enter Bali anymore," Luhut Pandjaitan, the senior minister overseeing tourism, said.