Southeast Asian island voted world's best destination grapples with trash crisis

By Hoang Vu February 10, 2026 | 04:00 am PT

Plastic waste and other garbage is cleared from a beach in Kedonganan Badung regency on Indonesia's Bali island. Photo by AFP

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has criticized local authorities for their slow response to Bali’s escalating waste problem, warning that the island’s reputation as a world-class tourist destination is at risk.

The issue has come under intense scrutiny after Prabowo publicly reprimanded Bali Governor Wayan Koster and local officials, saying current cleanup efforts were "inadequate" and had failed to deliver meaningful results, Indonesian newspaper The Jakarta Post reported.

Speaking to regional leaders on Feb. 2, the president said he had received repeated complaints from senior international figures about Bali’s deteriorating cleanliness, according to Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

"They said Bali is now too dirty, no longer beautiful," Prabowo told the meeting, adding that he accepted the criticism.

He also shared photographs taken in December 2025 showing beaches blanketed with trash.

"Indonesia is beautiful. Tourists want to come, but they see slums. They want to go to Bali, but Bali’s beaches are full of trash. How can tourists come if they see such garbage?" he said.

Prabowo accused Governor Koster of reacting too slowly to the crisis, despite having the authority to mobilize Bali’s 4.5 million residents for large-scale cleanup efforts.

He warned that if local authorities failed to meet expectations, the central government would deploy the military for routine cleanup operations and declared a "war" on waste.

To address Bali’s mounting waste problem, Koster launched several initiatives in 2025, including bans on single-use plastic bags, cups, straws and styrofoam in businesses, government offices, schools, hotels, restaurants, markets and places of worship, Singapore-based The Straits Times reported.

Bali recorded 7.05 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2025, the highest figure in the past decade.

In January, the Bali provincial government proposed new regulations requiring international visitors to declare their financial status over the previous three months. The proposal is seen as the island’s strongest effort so far to curb low-spending tourism and promote a "quality tourism" model.

Bali recorded 7.05 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2025, the highest figure in the past decade.

Despite mounting concerns, Bali remains a major global draw. The island was named the world’s best destination in Tripadvisor’s 2026 Travelers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Destinations.