Figure 1. Beautiful rice field in the north of Bali

Bali, also called the Island of Gods, is Indonesia’s undisputed top tourism destination, accounting for approximately a quarter of all tourism receipts of Indonesia’s 33 provinces. Located in the west of Indonesia between Java and Lombok, this small island was to be the third destination of our Asia-Pacific fieldwork trip. The NHTV ‘Tourism Destination Management’ Master Students had different expectations towards this place and each student made different experiences, of course.

Before explaining my individual experiences, let me first introduce this small, but highly diverse island to you. Besides the fact that tourism is an important source of economic growth and beside Bali’s outstanding performance in tourism, the island is very well-known for its strong culture and community (also called ‘Banjar’) system. The Balinese consider themselves a distinct ethnic group within Indonesia, as Hindus make up 93 per cent of the population, but only account for 2 per cent of the total Indonesian population. Culture has always been the island’s strongest attraction. However, the massive tourism industry inevitably left its altering impacts on the society and it is exploiting several resources. In addition, Bali is confronted with overpopulation, lack of education, waste mismanagement, lack of water and huge traffic congestion. Illegal aspects such as unlicensed villas and missing industry standards in the accommodation sector coin the island, too. Bali is generally hindered by a lack of law enforcement and corruption. The country only recently went through a process from dictatorship to democracy and tourism and the general economy are very influenced by the local government and the community, sometimes less by decisions on a provincial level.

In the first weeks of our research, we were assigned to identify and tackle these constraints. The task this time was to provide strategic advice for different stakeholders with regards to positive tourism development. Our group this time focused on Public Organisations (POs), whereas other research groups focused on Small- and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Large Tourism Organisations (LTOs). Treating public organisations is not always an easy task, as structures and motivations are not always as clear as in the private sector.

Figure 2. NHTV group picture at Balinese temple

Figure 3. NHTV group picture at Dreamland beach

However, our and other groups successfully managed to be committed again to the whole project. In our case it was due to the fact that the development of tourism organisations and associations, as part of the public sector, is very interesting. We identified that there are many of these associations, having a strong and leading voice in the tourism industry (but being restricted at the same time which led us to identifying ways for improvement) and working very sustainably. Our research area was determined to be the beautiful Bukit Peninsula in the south of Bali. Three other groups out of six focused on the Kuta/ Legian/ Seminyak area. The Bukit Peninsula (also called South Badung as the whole regency including Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and Sanur up to the central part of the island is called Badung Regency) is characterised by stunning nature due to limestone formations and beautiful beaches, the most beautiful beaches on the whole islands (Figure 5). Two developments determine the Bukit area: On the eastern part of the island one can find a well-developed and managed luxurious golf and resort area with various water sport activities, attracting a high-end customer. The western part of the island is characterised by a local touch, attracting many surfers looking for cheaper accommodation such as homestays. Especially Uluwatu with its nice temple, little restaurants and beaches and its laid-back atmosphere was very impressive. Less traffic and less ‘over-development’ which can be found in and around Kuta made this research area even more attractive to us. However, the Bukit region is often ignored in tourism literature and travel guides, which makes it not so well-known especially among European travellers.

Therefore, throughout the whole research process, our group found out that public organisations and  their interests are spread around the island and that they could co-operate and work together more closely, as their internal operations could be improved in the future and as the island could be marketed and even developed more successfully. Particularly in the last week our research group became even more committed and enthusiastic about giving strategic advice and supporting these organisations (Figure 4). By applying different management tools, an analysis of these stakeholders became easier. While talking to and interviewing the different organisations and industry leaders such as the Bali Development Tourism Corporation (BDTC), the Bali Tourism Board (BTB) and/ or non-governmental organisations such as the Nusa Dua Reef Foundation, insights became even better.

Figure 5. Group 5 final presentation

Figure 4. View from Uluwatu temple

Another advantage was that all six groups worked together more closely. Each group arranged different meetings and interviews where representatives of the group could join. If this was not possible, questions related to the different stakeholders and topics were asked and results were shared. This approach did not only make research easier and less time-consuming, it also showed that there has been progress from the first to the very last destination.

Bali as the third ‘beach’ destination was an amazing experience. Unfortunately, I heard many bad news about the island, being full of garbage, over-crowded and without any nice beaches. However, my impression turned completely the other way round: The Island is not only coined by the beautiful and very diverse nature and beaches, it is the friendly, open-minded and spiritual people that make this destination so special. Besides, being an Asian place it offers a mixture of local, Asian and Western atmosphere, including important aspects such as nightlife, food and shopping. Bali has this special atmosphere, which makes you feel emotionally attached and comfortable after the very first day. This is why so many Australians and other tourism markets are repeated visitors to the island.

Finally, I would like to thank NHTV University of Applied Sciences Breda for being part of this project. Of course it was not always easy for all of us to work among different nationalities, with very different characters, working experiences and working attitudes. But this fieldwork trip – and I think I can speak now speak on behalf of the whole group – made us more mature and capable of working with different people, sometimes exceeding our personal capacities. Personally I must say that this second phase made me even more aware about my passion to work in the tourism field, to research, analyse and giving recommendations to different destinations, while living in or at least working with different countries. This master has strengthened my commitment and enthusiasm to change future directions and policies in a positive way- which I really appreciate.