Southeast Asia's biggest economy seeks way to combat Bali overtourism

Official statistics from Indonesia's immigration authority show that Bali welcomed 3.89 million foreign tourists between January and July, a 31% increase compared to the same period last year.

Australia was the largest source of visitors with 877,000 tourists, followed by India with 328,000 and China with 278,000.

"South Bali is nearing overtourism," Sandiaga Uno, Indonesia's Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, said at a meeting last week as cited by Antara News Agency.

"We must avoid a situation like Barcelona, where tourists became public enemies," he warned.

He was referring to recent anti-tourism protests in popular holiday destinations across Spain, especially Barcelona, where people took to the streets to tell tourists to go home and even sprayed them with water pistols.

Uno said the majority of tourists flock to South Bali, worsening the overtourism issue.

To address this problem, he announced a tourist package that takes visitors to less-visited destinations such as Pemuteran in North Bali, Ijen Crater National Park and Bromo Volcano in East Java, Bernama reported.

The package is expected to lure tens of thousands of visitors to North Bali to help ease pressure on the southern region.

Pemuteran is a remote corner of North Bali, known for offering some of the best diving and snorkeling, while Ijen National Park situated in East Java near the city of Banyuwangi, is known for its blue fire and acidic crater lake.