Tour operators and local guides are today lamenting the decision by Balinese authorities to ban all tourist activities on all Bali’s mountains and volcanoes.
Bali Governor, Wayan Koster, made the announcement in consultation with key religious figures, in response to a spate of disrespectful behaviour by tourists visiting the traditional sacred sites.
Mr Koster said, “This [ban] is in effect forever and local regulations will be issued to regulate everything. [The ban is] not only for foreign tourists but is including domestic tourists and local residents.”
Koster went on to say, no one can access the mountains “unless there are religious ceremonies or disaster management and special activities that are not for tourism activities.”
The types of behaviour that have led to this decision have included drunkenness and public displays of nudity, though accidents leading to serious injury of tourists and in some cases, tourist deaths, are also considered to have been a factor.
Governor Koster committed to ensuring that legislation would be drawn up in alignment with traditional Balinese customary law and values, noting that the regulations would be drafted by local leaders and the Sulinggih [High Priests] of Bali.
While the announcement is seen as a victory for those who wish to see the island’s most holy places conserved and respected, the ban on all activities on Bali’s mountains is a huge blow to tourism on the island, impacting not only adventurous tourists but also all the communities and small businesses that depend on mountain tourism activities for their income.
Koster has suggested that these people might simply pivot to jobs in conservation and forest management.
The ban on activities on Bali’s mountains comes just days after the Indonesian central government announced four new UNESCO Geoparks in the country and could result in visitors to Bali being encouraged to spread their wings in search of lesser known wilderness areas of Indonesia.
Just five hours drive west of central Bali is Mount Ijen which sits in the newly appointed UNESCO Ijen Global Geopark in East Java. Offering amazing hiking and lake vistas.
And, just a few hours east by boat and car, lies the majestic Mount Rinjani, on the less touristed, but no less beautiful island of Lombok. Rinjani is an active volcano and the second highest mountain peak in Indonesia. It is already popular with serious hikers.
Source – The Bali Sun