RJOAS January 2025
by
Iswara Agus Made Yoga, International Institute of Tourism and Business (IPB International), Bali, Indonesia
Astawa I Nengah Dasi, Universitas Pendidikan Nasional, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
Suyasa Darma, Diana Wira, International Institute of Tourism and Business (IPB International), Bali, Indonesia
The role of sustainability tourism in supporting Bali's sustainable economy has increased after the COVID-19 pandemic; even in 2024, the number of foreign tourist visits to Bali is predicted to reach 6.5 million people; this figure has increased by 22% compared to the achievement in 2023. However, sustainability tourism has not answered most of Bali's current and future challenges and problems; even the world's leading travel guidebook publisher, Fodor, has placed Bali as one of the tourist destinations not to visit in 2025. This phenomenon is a wake-up call for Bali to focus on maintaining the status quo, namely reducing negative impacts and optimizing restoration efforts, rejuvenation, and creating more positive impacts through regenerative tourism. This article focuses on the efforts of the tourism industry in Bali to restore and improve the environmental, cultural, and economic conditions of tourist destinations. The approach is focused on recovery and regeneration, hoping to leave a destination that is better than its initial condition. The data collection methods in this study were literature, observation, in-depth interviews, and Focus Group Discussions. The determination experts in this study are the government, tourism industry, private sector, academics, and the community, who use purposive sampling techniques. The results of this study are the benefits and challenges of implementing regenerative tourism and effective strategies for implementing regenerative tourism.
In an era of increasing climate change and environmental degradation, regenerative tourism is an important solution to reduce the negative impacts of tourism while repairing existing damage. Rampant exploitation of natural and cultural resources to meet community needs has a detrimental impact on resources and humanity's quality of life, welfare, and security (Raworth, 2012). The existence of increasingly serious environmental problems, such as global warming, encourages governments in various countries to establish global partnerships to create a healthier environment and encourage companies to participate in protecting the planet, not only reducing negative impacts but also being able to restore or repair their environmental problems. Amid the acceleration and euphoria of high awareness of the benefits of tourism and the increasing quantity and quality of access to tourist destinations due to decreasing transportation and accommodation costs, over-tourism has emerged as a real phenomenon that summarizes the narrative of negative perceptions of tourists and tourism. As an impact of the overtourism mentioned above, there has been a decrease in support or even rejection of tourism by the community. Negative assessments of tourists and tourism are closely related to the negative impacts caused by the presence of tourists in the form of waste and garbage produced, increasing living costs, the polarization of culture and customs that are detrimental to residents, damage to public facilities, historical sites and the natural environment to the point of disturbing the comfort of residents, as well as the behaviour of tourists who arbitrarily invade public spaces, increasing prices for access facilities to tourist destinations, increasing feelings of insecurity and disruption to residents' lifestyles; and excessive use of resources. Although the phenomenon of overtourism has not been a top priority in consideration of Indonesian tourism management, the potential negative impacts of over-tourism need to be watched out for and addressed with strategic and systematic actions to continue to realize sustainable tourism in Bali through the concept of regenerative tourism. As the largest subsector of the tourism industry, the accommodation industry undeniably has the broadest environmental impact (Graci, 2012). In the tourism sector, the hotel industry provides the most jobs and significantly influences the development of the areas where it operates (Segarraoña et al., 2012). This sector is also characterized by high resource consumption and waste generation (Erdogan & Baris, 2007; Bohdanowicz, 2012). So, it can be said that there is an inevitable relationship between the development of the hotel industry, environmental impacts, and the need for greater resource efficiency (Cingoskia & Petrevska, 2018). The rapidly growing hotel industry has increased pollution from year to year. Liquid waste from hotels can be classified as domestic waste or household waste. However, the difference is that hotel waste is much more than household waste. A waste management system is essential for every hotel to have as a system for preventing negative impacts because, through a sound management mechanism, hotel wastewater can be processed so that it is not dangerous because the concentration of pollutants has decreased and is even suitable for reuse for watering plants so that it does not have a negative impact on the environment and even creates other positive impacts.
As a tourist destination, Bali has a variety of natural beauty, marine and biological biota and cultural uniqueness. Tourists from all over the world come to enjoy the natural and cultural beauty of the island, which is touted as the last paradise on Earth. However, this condition is very much incompatible with reality. The beauty of the island of Bali is tarnished by the presence of garbage that is not disposed of properly. Beautiful beaches that are one of Bali's main destinations, such as Kuta Beach, Sanur Beach, and other beaches in Bali, become places where plastic waste ends up. The garbage problem is not a new phenomenon on Bali's island. Various foreign media have highlighted the conditions that occur related to garbage in Bali. An article by Andrew Marshall in Time magazine, published on April 1, 2011, stated that Bali is a vacation spot like hell. Bali is full of garbage, industrial waste and acute traffic jams in southern Bali. This news does not immediately bring about better changes to the environmental conditions in Bali, so real action is needed that goes beyond traditional sustainable tourism with a focus on environmental recovery and regeneration and local communities and creating a destination that is better than before.
The regenerative concept is a new school of thought in sustainability that developed after the emergence of conventional and contemporary sustainability (Gibbons, 2020). Conventional sustainability has developed since the 17th century and emphasizes the importance of preserving nature for the benefit of humans, as stated in the Bruntland Report. The regenerative concept is rooted in the concept of regenerative development, which is based on the principles and paradigms of ecology/ecological worldview (Bellato & Pollock, 2023; Dredge, 2022; Gibbons et al., 2018), which emerged as a result of dissatisfaction with the ability of the sustainability concept as the right way to realize the desired future (Major & Clarke, 2022). Developing knowledge in ecology, quantum physics, systems theory, developmental change theory, psychology, neuroscience, design, planning, and sustainability supports the development of the regenerative concept. In addition, the development of the regenerative concept is also supported by traditional knowledge and practices, spiritualism and Eastern philosophy (Gibbons, 2020).
The regenerative concept views humans and all forms of life as living systems (Bellato & Pollock, 2023; Dredge, 2022; Major & Clarke, 2022) and autopoietic systems, namely living systems that can restore, repair or renew themselves. Living systems are living systems characterized by two things: having a metabolism and being a network (Capra, 2015). The regenerative concept aims to improve the health, adaptability and evolutionary potential of a fully integrated social and ecological system so that it can regenerate or renew itself to create a thriving and abundant future (Gibbons et al., 2018). To realize this, all processes must be designed to be in harmony with the way the universe works, which is believed to be a system. Understanding the system teaches that the system consists of components. Whether or not the goals of a system are achieved depends significantly on the performance of all the interconnected components in a process.
Regenerative tourism is an approach to bring about changes that aim to realize the potential of tourism destinations to grow and develop rapidly and create a positive impact by increasing the regenerative capacity of the community and its environment (Bellato et al., 2023). Regenerative tourism aims to maximize the benefits received by all stakeholders in tourism, namely the environment, visitors, local communities and government, while still promoting the welfare of future generations (Hui et al., 2023), as well as maintaining restore conditions, revitalize and renew nature and culture that provide an attraction for a tourism destination. Not only through efforts to reduce as much as possible the negative impacts of visits made, but regenerative tourism emphasizes efforts to create positive and permanent changes in a tourism destination (Zaman, 2023). Regenerative tourism teaches us to leave a destination in a better condition than when visited, take something less from a tourism destination than what is given, and be truly able to contribute positively to the tourism destination visited (Bellato & Pollock, 2023). For this reason, regenerative tourism requires a change in socio-ecological awareness. It depends on the human ability to develop their thinking to be more oriented towards togetherness and to develop compassion, empathy and collaboration (Dredge, 2022).
Given that tourism occurs as a result of a person's motivational push to travel and is reinforced by the attraction of the destination (destination-pull) (Crompton, 1979; Dann, 1981; Dann, 1977), regenerative tourism must be understood from 2 perspectives, namely from the visitor's perspective (tourist or excursionist) and the tourism destination perspective. Utilizing this perspective, from the visitor's perspective, regenerative tourism can be defined as tourism that provides the most significant opportunity for visitors to contribute positively to producing a living system that develops significantly in the destination they visit. Meanwhile, from the tourism destination perspective, regenerative tourism can be understood as an effort by the tourism destination to utilize all its potential to bring about a change effect that makes the living system in the tourism destination develop rapidly and successfully according to its natural rhythm. Combining these two understandings, regenerative tourism can be defined as a form of tourism that provides broad opportunities for visitors to work together with stakeholders in tourism destinations to make tourism run by the natural rhythm of the existing living system so that the living system can function naturally, continue to grow, develop and renew itself successfully, without experiencing excessive pressure that can lead to damage and destruction.
UNWTO views the COVID-19 pandemic as a momentum for change. The pandemic has brought about a devastating disruption to the tourism sector and an opportunity to recalibrate goals and create new investment narratives that align with the implementation of sustainable development goals (SDGs). The offer of this regenerative tourism concept is a breath of fresh air, considering the results of a study by Pan Pylas in his article The Curse of Overtourism which revealed that mass tourism had reached its critical point in 2017. The world's leading tourist destinations, such as Barcelona, Dubrovnik, and Venice, have experienced severe negative impacts from mass tourism. In Venice, most locals have decided to leave their hometown because they feel uncomfortable with the crowds of tourists. If sustainable tourism is developed to reduce the negative impacts of tourism, regenerative tourism is attempted to restore, regenerate, and even improve environmental conditions and local communities. At least four concepts are adopted by regenerative tourism: community involvement, environmental conservation and restoration, economic sustainability, and education and awareness.
This study uses a qualitative descriptive approach. Descriptive research guides research to explore or photograph the social situation to be studied comprehensively, broadly and in-depth. According to Bogdan and Taylor, as quoted by Moleong & Lexy (2007), a qualitative approach is a research procedure that produces descriptive data in the form of written or spoken words from people and observed behaviour. Qualitative research focuses on social phenomena, giving voice to the feelings and perceptions of participants under study. Basri (2014) concluded that qualitative research focuses on the process and meaning of the results. Qualitative research focuses more on human elements, objects, and institutions and the relationships or interactions between these elements to understand an event, behaviour, or phenomenon (Mohamed, Majid & Ahmad, 2010). In-depth data mining is carried out based on literature, observation, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGD), and using previous research studies found in publications, journals and other documents which also play an important role in realizing a more transparent and more measurable picture and understanding. This research was conducted in Bali, especially in the accommodation industry.
Compared to its previous condition, Bali's current physical condition has undergone many changes. Bali is not as beautiful and attractive as it used to be. The problem of waste that has not been appropriately resolved, traffic jams occurring at many nodes in South Badung, Gianyar and Denpasar, the uncontrolled conversion of rice fields into tourism facilities, and, no less importantly, the problem of overtourism worsens Bali's branding in the international world. As in other areas, Bali's tourism destinations also aspire to become sustainable tourism. This means that the government, society, and entrepreneurs greatly desire to make Bali a tourist destination that will be successful not only now but also for the rest of the world. For this reason, various efforts have been carried out systematically with the government as the regulator and creatively carried out by entrepreneurs and the community by developing various alternative tourism, which do not emphasize profit-seeking efforts but sell pro-environmental and pro-socio-cultural tourism services. Tourism and the environment will influence each other depending on how the two process each other. Tourism is an industry whose survival is primarily determined by the good and bad of the environment. The rapid growth of the global market, including tourism, has been followed by an increase in environmental imbalance and damage worldwide. In reality, tourism investment growth is seen in the drastic changes in the landscape of Bali Island. Coastal areas, rice fields, riverbanks, hills and mountains, and even forests that function as water catchment areas are not free from the target locations for tourism facility development. The very rapid changes in land functions not only pose a serious threat to the existence of farmers who have long depended on rice fields but also result in changes in the structure of work that are prone to creating unemployment problems.
A significant change that occurs due to the development of Balinese tourism is the emergence of changes in the culture of its people. This occurs because of the orientation of the lives of the Balinese people, who used to be a traditional agrarian society, to a modern agrarian society, which is more economically oriented, where the value of money measures everything. The lives of the Balinese people, in general, have begun to shift; this can be seen from the polarization of the lives of the Balinese people, especially in urban areas that have transformed from socially oriented to economically oriented. The development of Bali tourism also brings socio-cultural impacts, one of which is the increase in the population of Bali due to the urbanization of residents from outside Bali, increasing livelihoods of Balinese and non-Bali residents, traditions that tend to change, religious rites are increasingly lively due to increasing income received from the tourism sector, morals and sex roles change such as violations of norms and free sex behaviour among the younger generation. The impact on the environment, such as traffic jams in certain areas, pollution in urban areas, and socio-economic impacts, is also significant. Changes have provided a relatively vast accumulation of negative impacts, so thinking about solutions through a regenerative concept beyond sustainability is necessary. Regenerative and sustainable tourism are two interrelated concepts with similar goals, namely, developing more sustainable tourism.
However, there are significant differences between the two concepts when viewed from the main focus, objectives, and scale or scope. Sustainable tourism aims to reduce the negative impacts of tourism on the environment, culture, and economy and ensure long-term sustainability. Sustainable tourism seeks to maintain current conditions. Meanwhile, regenerative tourism is more ambitious, aiming to restore and improve tourist destinations' environmental, cultural, and economic conditions. Its approach focuses on restoration and regeneration, hoping to leave the destination better than its initial condition. When viewed from the implementation practice approach, sustainable tourism applies sustainable practices such as energy efficiency, waste reduction, natural resource conservation, and cultural protection. This is intended to reduce the negative impacts of tourism and maintain sustainability. Meanwhile, Regenerative Tourism involves practices focusing on restoration, regeneration, and improvement of the environment and local communities. Its approach is more proactive in repairing damage and restoring biodiversity and cultural life.
The goal of sustainable tourism is to maintain the status quo and achieve a balance between tourism, the environment, and society. So, the goal is to prevent further damage and minimize negative impacts. Meanwhile, regenerative tourism aims to provide real positive impacts by restoring ecosystems, rebuilding local communities, and creating better destinations. Regarding scale and scope, sustainable tourism focuses on actions and policies that can be applied at the destination level, such as national park management, water resource management, or sustainable transportation development. Meanwhile, regenerative tourism involves a broader and more holistic transformation in how tourism is run, including changes in attitudes, mindsets, and business practices involving various tourism stakeholders. It can be said that regenerative tourism is an evolution of sustainable tourism, with a stronger focus on restoration and recovery. So, although sustainable and regenerative tourism has an important role in promoting sustainable tourism, regenerative tourism is more appropriate for Bali, which needs restoration, rejuvenation and regeneration programs due to the accumulation of adverse impacts due to tourism development. The limitation of sustainable tourism is that it only focuses on reducing the impact of tourism on ecosystems and society. Sustainable tourism lacks momentum to motivate people to conserve and restore plants and wildlife while creating more community opportunities. Simply put, these two concepts are closely related. Regenerative tourism begins with sustainability, a prerequisite for starting the regenerative process. Regenerative tourism, in its application, is based on several key principles: 1) Community Involvement, which involves local communities in decision-making and supports their participation in the economic benefits of tourism. 2) Environmental Conservation and Restoration: meaning repairing environmental damage through restoration activities, reforestation, and sustainable practices. 3) Economic sustainability means ensuring the sustainability of local economic activities by reducing dependence on mass tourism and promoting local products and small and medium enterprises. 4) Education and Awareness: increasing understanding of the importance of environmental conservation and sustainable practices among visitors and local communities. Regenerative tourism has significant positive impacts on tourist destinations and the environment. For example, 1) Environmental Restoration: With a focus on restoration and conservation, regenerative tourism helps restore damaged ecosystems and protect biodiversity. 2) Economic Diversification: This concept emphasizes local economic development by empowering local communities by participating in tourism and building economic independence. 3) Cultural Preservation: This concept highly respects and supports local culture and maintains the authenticity of the cultural heritage of local communities.
4) Education and Awareness: Through this concept, visitors and local communities become more aware of the importance of sustainability and environmental preservation and develop the skills needed to maintain sustainable practices.
Practical steps in implementing sustainable tourism practices in Bali are as follows:
1) Evaluate current practices and get all support, meaning trying to identify all sustainability practices in the Company today, because this will be the foundation that can be built and developed. If the Company is on a medium or large business scale, it must involve all stakeholders and top management to support the regenerative concept. 2) Set clear goals, meaning if the Company operates within the boundaries of traditional tourism, then it is necessary to review the Company's mission, vision, and goals so that the Company's values and goals align with the implementation of the regenerative concept. 3) Establish a regenerative tourism policy, meaning that to commit to regenerative practices; the Company should establish a policy related to the regenerative concept. The Company's regenerative tourism policy can outline each regenerative practice that will be implemented and how each practice will help the Company achieve its goals. 4) Implementing a sustainability approach, meaning that companies need to make some concrete adjustments, such as reviewing processes and identifying operations that can be adjusted to minimize environmental impacts, save resources, and minimize waste production, as well as recycling wastewater through an integrated system to be reused, for example for watering plants and gardens. 5) Finding partners in the local community, meaning that local communities are an important part of the overall regenerative tourism landscape. In order to implement the regenerative concept, it is necessary to support local communities to strengthen the potential for partnerships. Companies should involve local communities to learn about them, identify their priorities, and understand their needs. 6) Training Company employees, meaning that employees should understand the principles of regenerative tourism, sustainable practices related to tourism, and specific cultural sensitivities.
Regenerative tourism is a new concept in the tourism sector, especially in Bali, and the implementation of the concept certainly has several challenges. Here are some of the most common challenges and potential solutions that are carried out and become best practices: 1) Limited understanding of regenerative tourism – all parties, including tourists, travel brands, governments, and local communities, do not fully understand the principles of regenerative tourism. The solution is to organize Education, training and focus group discussions. In this case, try to focus on the benefits that this concept can generate and provide training for parties who can help further promote regenerative tourism. 2) Funding constraints mean that the regenerative concept is something new in the Company and the community, so starting requires an initial investment. Funding solutions can be done with company CSR funds, grant applications, and other incentives from NGOs, governments, and financial institutions willing to invest in regenerative practices. 3) Weak collaboration, meaning that without collaboration, it can slow down the implementation process; in this case, the Company can facilitate collaboration by entering and promoting partnerships. Multi-stakeholder platforms and public-private partnerships have the potential to be quite strong in making regenerative programs successful.
Local communities, government, and tourism business actors have a significant role in successfully implementing regenerative tourism. Local communities are important catalysts for the long-term success of the implementation of the regenerative tourism concept. The more the community is empowered and involved, the better the results will be because they are not just objects but subjects directly involved in planning, execution, and evaluation. The community also knows better about the destination's uniqueness, cultural heritage, and traditions. This will help make the destination more attractive and appealing to tourists while maintaining and caring for the destination better than before. The government also has an important role in successfully implementing regenerative tourism. The government is responsible for the framework, regulations, and policies that can promote regenerative tourism and facilitate its implementation. The government can also allocate a budget to fund relevant projects such as conservation and regeneration efforts and developing environmentally friendly infrastructure. Likewise, tourism business actors can actively participate in promoting regenerative tourism and also facilitate its implementation in every business unit they manage so that it becomes a strong collaboration between business actors, the community and the government in presenting a positive impact in every tourism activity while making tourist destinations better than before.
Regenerative tourism is the next level of sustainability tourism, which focuses more on restoration, rejuvenation and regenerative efforts. In its application in Bali, regenerative tourism aims to maximize the benefits received by all stakeholders in tourism, namely the environment, visitors, local communities, tourism stakeholders and also the government, while still promoting welfare for future generations and to maintain, restore conditions, revitalize and renew nature and culture that provide an attraction for a tourism destination.
The application of regenerative tourism in Bali is based on several main principles: 1) community involvement, 2) environmental conservation and restoration, 3) economic sustainability, and 4) education and awareness. Meanwhile, the positive impacts presented in applying the regenerative tourism concept are as follows: 1) environmental restoration, 2) economic diversification, 3) cultural preservation, and 4) education and awareness. The challenges in applying regenerative tourism are: 1) limited understanding of regenerative tourism, 2) funding constraints, and 3) weak collaboration. Local communities, government, and tourism business actors have a significant role in successfully implementing regenerative tourism. In addition to collaboration between communities, the government and tourism stakeholders also need practical strategic steps to realize the success of implementing regenerative tourism, such as the following: 1) evaluate current practices and get all support, 2) determine clear goals, 3) establish regenerative tourism policies, 4) implement a sustainability approach, 5) seek partners in local communities, and 6) train Company employees.
Original paper, i.e. Figures, Tables, References, and Authors' Contacts available at http://rjoas.com/issue-2025-01/article_11.pdf