Bali Struggles With the Dark Side of Success
Bali Struggles With the Dark Side of Success
Excerpts; The Jakarta Globe
Construction cranes on beaches, damaged coral and floating trash in the turquoise waters off Bali are an unfortunate sign of just how successful the Indonesian resort island has been in attracting tourists.
Foreign visitors have been drawn to the unique Hindu culture, art and volcanic landscapes of Bali since the 19th century, but in recent years growing wealth in Asia has spurred new hordes of tourists from around the region.
The island has also used its charm to become a top venue for international conferences and events involving thousands more people, many of which take place in the Nusa Dua resort complex, south of the airport, where international hotel chains such as Westin and Marriott have taken root.
The flood of cash from these conferences, during which room prices surge due to tight demand, is prompting the bulldozing of hills for more resorts in an island that some people already think is far too crowded, with little or no thought given to the limits of the environment…
Read Full Article, The Jakarta Globe
Six Tourist Beaches in Bali Are Polluted, Lab Tests Show: The Jakarta Globe
Excerpts;
Bali may still be the Island of the Gods and the Island of a Thousand Temples, but it is certainly no longer the island of pristine beaches, an academic said on Thursday.
Researcher Ketut Sundra, from the Department of Biology at state-run Udayana University in Denpasar, said that laboratory tests on seawater from six popular tourist beaches showed they were polluted.
Eight pollutants had been found on the beaches, meaning that the seawater failed to meet the standard necessary to be classified as clean.
Among the pollutants found were nitrates, nitrites, phosphates, cadmium and lead…
…
Read Full Article, The Jakarta Globe
