Bali Bounces Back
Indonesia’s island province of Bali is no stranger to adversity; it has withstood many upheavals throughout its long history and has always emerged stronger than ever. The island has been through intra-island conflicts, occupation by the Dutch, Japanese occupation during World War 2, political upheavals during 1960’s, volcanic eruptions and, most recently, terrorist attacks in 2002 and 2005. At first glance it may seem like Bali has always been home to turmoil and while sensational newspaper headlines seem to reaffirm the fact, reality could not be more different.
Through every major incident, Bali and its inhabitants have stood firm. Widely regarded as a peace loving and friendly people, the local Balinese have remained steadfast in their traditions and beliefs come what may. A province with a majority Hindu population in the world’s largest Muslim nation, the Balinese have always retained their unique identity and faith, despite numerous upheavals and challenges. The most recent tragedies in Bali, the bombings at Kuta in 2002 and 2005, have garnered much attention and condemnation around the world. Almost overnight, Bali went from being a quiet tropical paradise to the front-line in the global war on terror.
Predictably, Bali’s tourist industry suffered after the bombings. Indonesian authorities, mindful of the negative publicity in its most important tourist province, have taken a number of positive steps to improve security in Bali to reassure international visitors. Judging from the strong resurgence of tourist traffic to Bali such measures seem to be working. Soon after each of the terrorist attacks news-media editorials and commentators have signalled the death knell for large scale tourism in Bali – but the complete opposite has happened and the tourist industry has bounced back, stronger than ever.
Tourist figures from 2005 to 2009 show a steady increase in the number of annual tourists to Bali from all over the world. 2.3 million visitors alone showed up in 2009 and 2010 looks to be the best year ever for tourism in Bali. The market has spoken – people from around the world enjoy Bali and feel safe enough to visit in record numbers each year. Such is the demand for Bali that the island’s Ngurah Rai International Airport can barely keep up with the huge volume of international traffic, and authorities have announced the construction of a new airport in the north of the island.
Rather than a decline in tourism in Bali, the opposite has happened. While most of the tourist trade in the south, places like Lovina in north Bali have been going through a resurgence as the hot new draw on the island.