11 December 2023 , 10:10
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Every year, millions of tourists flock to Bali to make the most of its picture-perfect golden beaches with crystal-clear waters.
However, tourists were left horrified when they headed to one popular hotspot only to find the shoreline and waters filled with plastic bottles, waste and all sorts of "disgusting" rubbish. Monsoon season - which takes place between November and April - brings with it "trash tsunamis" with large amounts of waste washed up on the shores.
Kuta Beach has typically been a firm favourite with visitors, but thousands are flocking to it every day causing overcrowding, while the filthy waters have left people swimming among bottles and abandoned shopping bags while children build sandcastles surrounded by waste.
One local who runs a beach bar and sunbed rental service said: "Every year in the monsoon season the sand gets covered in all sorts of waste. It hits our business, because tourists come for the beautiful beaches they heard about and what they find is very different. We do our best to clean the area up, but it feels like we are losing the fight against the trash with more coming every day."
Kuta Beach has become polluted and overcrowded (Scott Campbell)One unhappy visitor described it as "the most disturbing and ugly and filthy beach I have ever been to" in a damning Tripadvisor review.
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Another added: "We have been to Bali a few times previously. It’s so sad to see the filth on Kuta beach and the plastic on the shore and in the ocean. Tourists will not return if the beaches are not looked after."
Meanwhile a disgruntled Brit said: "There is so much rubbish coming in and no one really bothers to clean it. After hearing how nice this beach was, thought I’d book but now I regret it. Throughout the whole stretch along the beach was full of rubbish".
It's not a new problem in the area. Back in 2017, Bali authorities declared a garbage emergency on the coastline between beaches in Kuta, Seminyak, Legian and Jimbaran, which are usually the worst affected areas.
The beach is covered in rubbish (Scott Campbell)In a bid to help combat overtourism, authorities are set to introduce a new fee for tourists who want to enter the island, which will cost approximately £7-£8 (150,000 Indonesian rupiah). According to Bali Governor Wayan Koste, the money will be used for "the environment, culture and [to] build better quality infrastructure".
It's not the only measure being taken as authorities try to mitigate the effects of the hordes of tourists that flock to the nation every year. Bali has also introduced a new guidebook on how to behave after a string of incidents, including a tourist who was seen mooning on top of a sacred mountain, while another was seen dancing naked on Mount Batur. The following month, one influencer found herself in hot water after posing naked at a 700-year-old sacred tree.
The manual also offers instructions on how to dress and behave in sacred sites and cultural landmarks on the island.
"It needs to be known that not all foreigners know what things are allowed and not allowed in Bali," Mr Napitupulu said, The Bali Sun reported. "We hope to accelerate the completion of the guidebook or guidance book."