The Year Bali Tourism Stopped | Foreign Correspondent

Bali’s natural beauty and rich culture have made it a tourist magnet but since COVID19, the island is struggling to stay afloat. Locals are questioning their dependence on tourism and the over-development it has unleashed. Marcello and the lifeguards of Kuta Beach rise bright and early for their morning meeting and surf sprints. But they know it’s going to be a quiet day. While the iconic beach normally attracts 50 000 visitors a day from around the world, today the head lifeguard expects only 50 people. “Nobody makes a life on the beach“, says Marcello. “People who sell massage, or merchandise on the beach…I heard they all go back home to their village. It’s a very sad situation.“ It’s a common story across the island, even in its remotest corners. Off Bali’s east coast on the small island of Ceningan, Wayan lost his job at a hotel, and had to return to farming seaweed with his family. It’s the same story across Ceningan. “Before we had 100 per cent tourism. Now 8