BALI^S SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PRACTICES: EFFORTS AND CHALLENGES Muhammad Arif Hidayah, Muhammad Farhan
Master of Law, Pancasila University
Abstract
For decades, Bali has been the hot spot for international tourism attracting visitors from every corner of the globe. Although the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the surge of international travel, Bali continues to be the one of the most sought after destinations chosen by international visitors. Tourism activities all over the world have been greatly impacted by the pandemic and thus contributed to an unproductive state of economy towards countries that rely on tourism. This in turn has made governments rethink about tourism policies that could benefit stakeholders that are affected by the pandemic, which have been hotels, restaurants, society, and etc. One notable policy conducted by tourism authorities all over the world is to boost domestic tourism. For instance, the ^Work From Bali^ campaign initiated in 2021 has contributed to Bali^s economy and specifically to the local businesses that face hardship throughout the pandemic. With the decrease in Covid-19 cases, and hopefully the end of a pandemic status, the tourism industry in the upcoming years is designated to be the foundation of Indonesia^s economy. However, the tourism industry also comes with its liabilities such as overflow of tourists, cultural site conservation, nature conservation, safety and security of travelers, and many more. The answer to such liabilities is through the practice of Sustainable Tourism. Fortunately this concept has been asserted in the existing legal framework at the national and provincial levels while also taking into consideration international best practices. The focus of this paper is as follows: How is the application of sustainable tourism regulation in the province of Bali?- and Can sustainable tourism practices in Bali be an example for other provinces in Indonesia? Methods used in this paper will be descriptive qualitative with the addition of interviews with stakeholders of sustainable development.
