the allure of paradise

why is bali very popular?

Bali, where millions find their paradise every year. Picture this, endless green rice fields, and surf spots that people can't stop posting about, it's a place that caters to both adventure seekers and those just looking to chill.

It's an island full of Hindu traditions, where lively ceremonies, traditional dances, and stunning arts unfold in the thousands of temples and shops scattered across the island. It's like stepping into a whole new world, where every corner tells a story.

The Balinese local, They're like a burst of sunshine in human form. Seriously, like these people are always happy. Their warm hospitality welcomes you with open arms, making you feel like you've stumbled upon a home away from home. 

Bali has its well-deserved moment in the spotlight too! TripAdvisor took notice and named Bali the second most popular destination globally in 2023, leaving heavyweights like London and Paris in its wake. And here's a fun fact: according to a Club Med survey, Bali snagged the title of The World's Happiest Holiday Destination in 2022. But they did name New Orleans as number 2 so, maybe take it with a grain of salt. But either way, Bali isn't just a fantastic place; it's your ultimate go-to for a stress-free and happy vacation.

But did you know Bali is part of Indonesia? Maybe you do and if that's the case you probably would be surprised to know there are a lot of people who have heard of Bali, one island in a country that has over 18000 islands but not the country of Indonesia itself.

Why is Bali Very Popular?

In 2022,  2,176,004 foreigners arrived in Bali. Yet, when most Indonesians go abroad and are asked where they are from, they have to mention Bali because somehow the world's fourth most populous country remains relatively obscure to some individuals (According to The Ngurah Rai Special Immigration Office).

So, the question is why is Bali so popular? Why are foreigners more familiar with Bali, instead of the whole of Indonesia? 

Well, former President Megawati Soekarnoputri believes it has to do with the fact that “Bali has preserved its local cultures and regional values.”

And that may be the case, Bali has a totally different culture & religion compared to other islands like Sumatra and Java. While Indonesia, is the most populous Muslim nation, with 87% of the population adhering to Islam, about 1.6% are Hindus and they are primarily found in Bali where they make up the majority. 

Balinese Hinduism differs from other forms of Hinduism found in places such as India and Nepal. While I won't delve into theological details, one notable distinction is their acceptance of eating beef and unlike many other Indonesian islands, Bali stands out for its ready availability of pork and affordable and easy access to alcohol.

And let's face it, most westerners don't really want to travel to a Muslim country for vacation. And the ones that do are seen as adventurous or risk takers. So marketing Bali as a holiday destination is probably smarter than marketing the whole of Indonesia, even though you can probably find just as much culture, values and stunning surf spots in other parts of the country, It's just that they are Muslim. 

History of Bali

Bali was first accessible to foreigners in the 1910s but real tourism didn't begin until the 1930s when The Dutch colonizers made an effort to advertise Bali as an exotic luxury destination with dreamy rice fields, mystical temples, and bare-breasted Balinese women. Yah,  the first tourists brought home pictures of half-naked locals, and even advertisement posters of travel companies’ lured westerners with the promise of seeing naked women. Eventually over the decades, the women caught on and began to cover up once they saw white men with cameras just coming to see and take photos of them. 

From the 1940s to the 1970s Bali was just a quiet island, but the first president of the now independent Indonesia, who loved Bali so much and visited often, planned to introduce  Bali to the world and turn it into a tourism mecca. 

At first, it was young mostly western hippies who were coming. But as we know hippies don't really spend money, they stayed with local families and ate at small local restaurants.  so their contribution to the country's economy was basically meaningless.

In 1974, the country’s second president Suharto, a ruthless and corrupt dictator decided it was time to give Bali a little upgrade. He wanted to pull in the big spenders and he set this goal of creating 4,800 new hotel rooms. But, the Balinese locals got a bit worried: Could all this tourism mess with the local culture of the island?

So they decided to promote ‘cultural tourism’ instead. Rather than just luxury hotel rooms and beachside cocktails, Bali opted to  showcase temple visits, ceremonies, and dance performances to tourists. And it worked, tourists loved it, even Mick Jagger came and did a Hindu wedding, although it wasn't even considered legal and the relationship didn't even work out in the end, another story for another day. 

From the 1980s to the early 2000, millions of tourists visited Bali, and because of this, a lot of money flowed into the island. A lot of that money was used to redevelop temples and hold ceremonies. The Balinese were so fascinated as to why all these tourists were so interested in their culture that it sparked a so-called  “ cultural renaissance” amongst the locals. Which meant even more money spent on cultural activities. By the 1990s 25% of the island was earmarked as “only for tourism”. 

From the 2000s till the present day, for the most part, Tourism in Bali has been on an upward trajectory. Minus some uncontrolled and unexpected events like the tragic 2002 and 2005 terrorist attacks and the Covid pandemic. It seems like more and more people are either visiting Bali or putting it on their bucket list to one day visit the beautiful island. Since the establishment of Bali’s tourism industry, it has grown from a few colonial Dutch tourists looking for boobs, with nowhere to stay  to over 6 million people visiting in just 2019 alone.

Conclusion  

So, why is Bali so popular? There are plenty of reasons. The number 1 source of tourists come from Indonesia’s southern neighbor, Australia because the flights can be as low as $100 and the cost of living in Bali is a fraction of what it is in Australia. The number 2 source is Indians attracted to the fact that Bali is Hindu and has great nightlife. Middle aged women flock to Ubud in search of their live-laugh-love, Julia Roberts moment and surfers from all over the world flock to the shores to catch some gnarly waves. And most people sprinkle in some cultural activities because the island is full of cultural activities. To sum it all up, Bali is popular because it's beautiful, fun, cheap, and hasn't disregarded its culture in favor of mass tourism but yet mass tourism still came.