‘Real Bali’ as Western construct: Rethinking tourism’s ‘ruination’ of Bali

Lisa Qian, a Yale University undergraduate studying economics, human rights, and Southeast Asia, is currently interning with Friends of the National parks Foundation in Ubud. She wrote the following article that appeared in the November 23 issue of The Jakarta Post.

Anyone even remotely familiar with the tourism industry of Bali has inevitably heard the question: “Is tourism ruining Bali?” This question has become the central topic of clichéd debate among both short-term tourists and long-term residents, in which the same points about traffic, unfettered development and the disappearing “real” Bali are beaten to the ground. Most look nostalgically to the past, to a time when visitors could still engage authentically with the “real” Bali. (continue to The Jakarta Post)