Australian tourism operators hope the Bali bikini ban will attract a ‘more sophisticated market’

Australian tourism operators have expressed their support for a bikini ban proposed by Bali authorities to attract a ‘more sophisticated market’ to the island.

The ban aims to attract different visitors and encourage them to behave respectfully and wear appropriate attire when visiting temples.

Authorities in Bali are planning on stopping tourists from posing in bikinis in front of sacred temples – after criticising the ‘quality of tourists’ visiting the Indonesian island.

If implemented, tourists could also be prohibited from entering temples unless accompanied by a tour guide. 

Authorities in Bali are planning on stopping tourists from posing in bikinis in front of sacred temples – after criticising the ‘quality of tourists’ visiting the Indonesian island (pictured tourist posing in front of erupting volcano)

The proposed restrictions come after recent tourist incidents drew outrage, with a Danish tourist's photo of himself sitting on the Linggih Padmasana shrine (pictured) drawing outrage earlier this month

The proposed restrictions come after recent tourist incidents drew outrage, with a Danish tourist’s photo of himself sitting on the Linggih Padmasana shrine (pictured) drawing outrage earlier this month

Indonesia’s deputy governor, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana, also told the local council of plans to manage the number of tourists coming into these sacred sites, according to 9 News. 

The proposed restrictions come after recent tourist incidents drew outrage.

A Danish tourist’s photo of himself sitting on the Linggih Padmasana shrine caused an outcry from locals earlier this month. 

The shrine is reserved for Balinese Hinduism’s most important deity, and it is considered offensive for tourists to sit on it.

‘Turning around a mass tourism destination is like manoeuvring an oil tanker, but it can be done,’ Australian-based business My Travel Research CEO Carolyn Childs told 9 News. 

‘I have watched with interest and sympathy at their [Bali’s] attempts to reposition by creating new luxury and ‘off the beaten track experiences’ to evolve with maturing and more sophisticated markets,’ he added. 

Melbourne-based tourism business The Bali Bible has also expressed similar sentiments on the matter. 

‘The beauty [of travel] is you get to experience cultures and different ways of life, so respect for those places is very important,’ Bali Bible Chief Marketing Officer Mitch Lawson told 9 News. 

The island has become one of south-east Asia’s most popular tourist destinations for westerners in recent years, and attracted more than five million visitors last year.

But the increase in popularity has come at a price for the local population since the island is now suffering from over-tourism.  

Bali deputy governor Cok Ace (pictured) told a regional council meeting that the government was concerned by a recent rise in disrespectful behaviour

The proposed crackdown follows a move by Cambodian authorities in 2016 to stop tourists from wearing skimpy clothing 

The proposed crackdown follows a move by Cambodian authorities in 2016 to stop tourists from wearing skimpy clothing 

The newly appointed Bali government also said the recent surge in visitors was having a negative impact on the island (pictured a bikini-clad woman performing the downward dog yoga position in front of another Balinese temple)

The newly appointed Bali government also said the recent surge in visitors was having a negative impact on the island (pictured a bikini-clad woman performing the downward dog yoga position in front of another Balinese temple)

He said: 'The temples need to be reserved since they are the spirits of Bali's cultures and customs'

He said: ‘The temples need to be reserved since they are the spirits of Bali’s cultures and customs’

The island has become one of south-east Asia's most popular tourist destinations for westerners in recent years, and attracted more than five million visitors last year

The island has become one of south-east Asia’s most popular tourist destinations for westerners in recent years, and attracted more than five million visitors last year

Seemingly prompted recent tourist incidents, Bali deputy governor Cok Ace told a regional council meeting last week the government was concerned by a recent rise in disrespectful behaviour.

‘This is the government’s attempt to maintain the Pura,’ he told The Guardian. 

‘The temples need to be reserved since they are the spirits of Bali’s cultures and customs.’

The newly appointed Bali government also said the recent surge in visitors was having a negative impact on the island.

In 2016, a picture of a bikini-clad woman performing the downward dog yoga position in front of another Balinese temple provoked a storm of criticism on social media.

And in 2017, western tourists flooded Instagram with shots of them posing seductively in front of Bali’s Mount Agung volcano as it spewed out columns of black ash and threatened to erupt.

The proposed crackdown follows a move by Cambodian authorities in 2016 to stop tourists from wearing skimpy clothing – which included a ban on clothing which exposed knees and shoulders.

In 2017, western tourists flooded Instagram with shots of them posing seductively in front of Bali's Mount Agung volcano as it spewed out columns of black ash and threatened to erupt

In 2017, western tourists flooded Instagram with shots of them posing seductively in front of Bali’s Mount Agung volcano as it spewed out columns of black ash and threatened to erupt

The proposed crackdown follows a move by Cambodian authorities in 2016 to stop tourists from wearing skimpy clothing - which included a ban on clothing which exposed knees and shoulders 

The proposed crackdown follows a move by Cambodian authorities in 2016 to stop tourists from wearing skimpy clothing – which included a ban on clothing which exposed knees and shoulders 

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