Authorities in Bali are pushing for all beaches on the island to be accessible to the public. This comes amid growing complaints from local residents that hotels and beach clubs are closing coastal areas only to their clients. TASR writes about it according to the euronews website.
Beaches in Hindu Bali are traditionally used by local communities to perform religious ceremonies in the sea. However, the tourism industry is changing much of the island’s coastline, and although local laws prohibit the privatization of beaches, this is often violated in practice.
Bali’s Governor I Wayan Koster asked the local parliament to approve a regulation according to which the coast is public property and commercial operators must not block it and prevent access to the sea. While presenting the proposal, he pointed out that the current situation in many places prevents the performance of important Hindu rituals such as Segara Kerthi and Pakelem.
Koster called on local deputies to discuss the regulation as quickly as possible and approve it by the end of 2025. He also criticized hotels and beach villa owners for blocking access to the coast. According to him, they act “as if they own the beach and the sea”, although they only own the land adjacent to the beach.
The Jakarta Post has highlighted several incidents in recent years where locals and domestic tourists have been turned away from beaches near hotels and private villas for allegedly trespassing.
