Bali. Country Profile and Tourism

Bali is primarily associated with a paradise consisting of white beaches, romantic sunsets, rice fields and a fascinating culture with lo ts of temples. Every year this image attracts a great number of tourists who are interested in discovering the island and who want to experience Bali’s culture. When tourism in Bali started to develop in the 1970s, it was first a positive effect on the island’s economical situation (increased employment for example); however, the fact that tourism exploded without proper planning within a short period of time leads now to great internal problems. 1 Since the terrorist bombing attacks in October 2002, Bali mo ved more into the limelight and has now not only to combat internal problems, but also external influences on its tourism industry. The aim of this essay is to present an image of the tourist destination “Bali”, an Indonesian island. First, a short count ry profile will be presented to help the reader to get an idea of the island. Chapter three gives a short survey of the tourism development on Bali so that the current state of affairs concerning the actual situation in tourism is clear. The case study then moves on to deal with internal and external problems and their effects on the island. The next chapter reports on strategies that the Bali government pursues in order to struggle with the problems. Finally, chapter six analyses critically the situation leading to a conclusion.