Sustainable Tourism in Bali

Bali's tourism boom comes at a high price: water scarcity (hotels consume multiple times the local per capita need), traffic chaos, rising living costs for locals, cultural loss, and environmental destruction. At the same time, tourism is the economic lifeline — over 80% of Bali's economy depends directly or indirectly on it.

What you can do as a traveler:

• Stay in local accommodations instead of international chains — homestays and boutique hotels in Balinese ownership keep the money on the island
• Eat in Warungs instead of just tourist cafés — direct support of the local economy
• Use water sparingly — take short showers, reuse towels
• Avoid plastic — bring your own bottle, your own bag, no straws
• Respect temples and ceremonies — no bikini photos at temples, no entering sacred places without invitation
• Pay fair prices — extreme bargaining in Warungs and with craftsmen harms the poorest
• Avoid animal attractions — no elephant rides, no Luwak coffee from caged animals, no dolphin shows