BALI, INDONESIA, June 2, 2023 (The Bali Sun): Bali’s Governor Wayan Koster has made a landmark policy announcement that will enforce, with immediate effect, a ban on all tourist activities on all of Bali’s mountains and volcanoes. While the ban on activities will be most felt by tourists who wish to explore the highlands, the ban also covers domestic tourists and even local people from stepping foot on the mountains. Koster said, “This [ban] is in effect forever and local regulations will be issued to regulate everything. [The ban is] not only for foreign tourists but includes domestic tourists and local residents.” He confirmed that there would be only very specific circumstances whereby even local people can step foot on the mountains and volcanoes. Koster said no one can access the mountains “unless there are religious ceremonies or disaster management and special activities that are not for tourism activities.”

The decision to legislate a blanket ban on all activities on all of Bali’s twenty-two mountains comes as a result of numerous incidents whereby foreign tourists have violated the sacred nature of the island’s holy mountains. This has largely included public displays of nudity, though accidents resulting in the serious injury of tourists and, even in tragic cases, deaths on the mountain sides have also informed the decision to enforce the ban. On the one hand, this announcement is a landmark victory for Bali lovers, locals and international visitors alike who wish to see the island’s most holy places conserved, preserved and respected. On the other, the ban on all activities on Bali’s mountains is a huge blow to tourism on the island, impacting not only adventurous tourists but also all the communities and small businesses that depend on mountain tourism activities for their income.

More at source.
https://thebalisun.com/bali-bans-all-tourist-activities-on-mountains-with-immediate-effect/

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