Sold in Paradise: On the imagery and language of tourism on the island of Bali by Natasha Berting

Research Document

June 01 2015

Sold in Paradise: On the imagery and language of tourism on the island of Bali

Natasha Berting

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Graphic Design

Research Document

Contents

PART 1: WHAT & WHY

Research Question

Tourism in the Global Context

Tourism in Bali: The Beginning

Tourism in Bali: Today

PART 2: HOW & FOR WHOM

Target Audience

Visual Research Approach

Design Approach

PART 3: REFLECTION

On Process

Strengths

Weaknesses

Conclusion & Vision

Works Cited

Appendix 1: Interview Hodes

Appendix 2: Interview Wijaya & Sayur

Appendix 3: Survey

Word Count: 5,971 words

Cover images Blanco, Don Antonio. Bali, circa 1920-1930. Photograph. Blanco Museum, Denpasar. Blanco Museum Online. Web. 30 March 2015. Ayana Resort and Spa. Resort Brochure. Denpasar: Ayana Resort And Spa, 2015: 15.

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PART 1: WHAT & WHY Introduction The island of Bali, Indonesia, is known to most as a destination. In 2014, international tourist arrivals reached a record high of more than 3.7 million visitors, an almost 15 percent increase from the year before (Bali Government Tourism Office). Compared to arrival numbers in 2008, this is almost double the amount. Not satisfied even with this growth rate, earlier this year, Bali’s provincial administration set an ambitious target of 30 million foreign-tourist arrivals by 2029 (The Jakarta Post, 25 April 2015). As someone who calls Bali home, I find this heartbreaking. Bali’s relationship with tourism is a complex one. While an incredible 70% of its economy is related to the tourism industry, tourism’s positive effects often do not reach enough of the local population (The Jakarta Post, 8 January 2015). In fact, years of unchecked and undesigned growth has led to a disconnection between the local and the tourist; and an identity crisis that is getting harder and harder to ignore. For many of us, myself included, there is a sense of frustration and dread with the unsustainable way that Bali is being sold and bought. We look around and fail to recognize the Bali that we once knew. The same conversations repeat themselves again and again - what will Bali look like in 20 years? Will the Balinese culture withstand the onslaught of tourism? Who is Bali for? These questions form the basic motivation for my graduation work. As someone who has always been interested in addressing social issues with my work, the subject of tourism attracts me for being on the crossroads between commerce and culture. Besides this, I’m interested in looking at tourism through the lens of imagery. As with most products today, tourism is marketed by way of images; and what Bali has become, is a very lucrative brand. Using my skills as a graphic designer and visual journalist, I will approach the subject of tourism in Bali by first exploring Bali’s image through the eyes of the media, the tourist and the local. This research document will explore the tensions and conflicts between the many faces of this ‘paradise island’, and offer analysis on the way image and identity can influence each other as well as the culture of tourism in Bali today.

Research Question Following this, my primary research question is: How is Bali portrayed in the media and how does its image differ when viewed from the lens of the local and that of the tourist? Other questions which will be treated in the following chapters include: - What are the current trends in the tourism industry worldwide? - What is the current state of the relationship between the average Balinese and the average foreign tourist? - Who are the image-makers and how do they relate to the local and the tourist? - How has tourism influenced Balinese economy, culture and identity?

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“Bali is a paradise. Yes - I answer, but for whom?” (Pollmann, 17)

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- How can design, in turn, influence tourism? - How do we define ‘good’ and ‘bad’ tourism? - How urgent and relevant is this issue to the rest of the world?

Tourism in the global context To begin to understand tourism in Bali, one must first understand tourism in its global sense. The English Oxford dictionary defines tourism as ‘the commercial organization and operation of vacations and visits to places of interest’. Jeremy Rifkin, author of The Age of Access, adds in a starker note, that tourism is ‘nothing more than the commodification of cultural experience’ (146). In any case, what began as an activity for the very privileged few, has now become the world’s biggest industry (de Baan, 66). Since entrepreneur Thomas Cook, known to many as the father of modern tourism, first packaged a tour and set up his travel organization in 1845, tourism has become a formal business, and one that is increasingly within the grasp of not just the middle class but also the working classes (Rifkin, 147). With the aid of technological advances, Cook’s tours effectively launched a commercial revolution, and the world hasn’t turned back since. Travel for pleasure is now the third largest household expense after food and housing (Krotz, 214). Today, worldwide annual turnover amounts to US$ 500 billion, making tourism the leading export sector greater even than cars, oil or food (de Baan, 66). Dutch journalist Theo Deutinger proposes a reason for this phenomenon: “What is tourism and why do people do it? Is it an “ism” like fascism or capitalism or communism? Let’s just assume tourism is one of the big “ism’s”, an ideology, a full grown idea that is strong enough to attract a massive amount of followers. It’s basic belief is the idea of the “better there”, the strong belief in a remote place that is better than home...” (64) Rifkin agrees that this is the fundamental motive of tourism. However, he adds that the growth of tourism is also a direct symptom of our current experience-based global economy. Economies that were once dominated by property based industries - cars, oil, steel - have now been taken over by experience based industries, like entertainment and travel (Rifkin, 137). In consequence, what we now have is a society which no longer asks itself, ‘What do I want to have?’ but instead, ‘What do I want to experience?’ And ultimately, tourism is about gathering - and consuming - as many experiences as possible. The problem is, that while this naturally benefits the tourist, not enough is discussed about how these activities, and this industry, impacts the local population - the people who call your destination their homes. At this point, it’s important to clarify that not all tourism is the same. Some bring in employment, investments in infrastructure, and can even preserve or affirm cultural heritage. Most of the criticism, when it comes to tourism literature, focuses itself on mass-tourism, which brings to mind scores of people crowded into tour buses, arriving at an all-inclusive resort and not stepping out of its comforting confines until they leave again a fortnight later. In any case, much emphasis and scrutiny is placed on the act of consumption: and the role of the tourist as a buyer.

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1 Stock photo image result for ‘Tourist’.

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In recent years, however, it’s become obvious that many problems also lie in the way that the product is being sold. On the supply side, tourism is manufactured by marketing organizations, travel agents, and experience/hospitality/entertainment sectors like the hotel industry (Rifkin). While these players often have the most power in the tourism marketplace (and the most to gain); they rarely represent the average local inhabitant; investors are often international companies, conglomerates and local élites. (Ashley, Boyd & Goodwin, 1). This is never more true than in developing countries, where on average, around 55 percent of all tourist dollars spent in a country is immediately repatriated out again - instead of filtering down to the mass of people who are actually living there (Ashley, Boyd & Goodwin, 3). Unfortunately, where this problem is at its worst, is also where tourism is growing most rapidly. According to the World Tourism Organization, international tourist arrivals in the emerging economies such as Asia, Latin America, and Africa will grow at double the rate (+4.4% a year) of that in advanced economy destinations (+2.2% a year). South-east Asia in particular, is the fastest growing region for tourism in the world. All tourism - mass or not - also impacts local populations in less tangible ways. When it comes to shaping cultural identity, Rifkin criticizes urban tourism practices that tend to commercialize places, people and cultures into easy to digest products: “In recent years, tourism has become much more like staged commercial entertainment than cultural visitation... The goal is to amuse and entertain as much as educate and enlighten, and if the local ambiance is bereft of sufficiently interesting and evocative experiences, then they often are manufactured to ensure a predictable and uniform experience for every customer.” (Rifkin, 149) For developing places like Bali, this tendency is highly problematic, especially when the vendors of the cultural products are not the locals themselves. In all cases, what this does is fragment a place into two realities: one version as known by the locals, and an artifical, ‘touristic’ space that increasingly offers contrived and idealized experiences (Minca, 390). In worst cases the latter is aggressively segregative: think of the high perimeter walls surrounding grand hotels, and the recreational activities enclosed within, which tout authenticity but are often stylized stereotypes or performances all catering to making your holiday a successful product. The more disparate the realities of the local and the tourist become, the more significant the impacts of tourism on cultural identity can be (Salazar & Graburn). On a more general level, and one that is relatable in every corner of the world, unchecked tourism growth is simply unpleasant, and leads to a deterioration of the relationship between the local population and the tourist masses, due to mutual disenchantment, unfulfilled expectations and misunderstandings (Minca, 390). In his recently published magazine, Amsterdam: Anticipating the Future, tourism expert Stephen Hodes highlights the problems that many European cities are facing in dealing with this very problem. Venice, Barcelona, Amsterdam - are all examples

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55% of tourist dollars spent in developing nations are repatriated abroad

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of cases closer to home in which tourism has reached/is reaching its critical mass (Hodes, 17). In his interview with the magazine, Amsterdam mayor Eberhard van der Laan, admits that, “The call for a better balance in the city is justified... Without balance, what you will get is a situation like the one in Venice, where the city has become a city of tourists, and not of its inhabitants.” (85) Though these issues are highly complex, my conclusion to all of this is simple. Unchecked tourism has far more negative impacts than positive, and it’s growth, at the moment, is unsustainable. In developing countries, this leads to not just economical imbalances, but can also affect cultural identity. Most interesting to me is the deterioration in the relationship between local and tourist, when actually, this should be the most central relationship in the act of tourism. Instead, current trends are pushing these two worlds further apart, leaving less room for dialogue, for true cultural visitation. Ultimately, this research has shown me that mass-tourism growth is an urgent and globally relevant problem; and that as a designer, there are opportunities for me to change the way locals and tourists relate to each other.

Tourism in Bali: The beginning As part of the rapidly developing nation of Indonesia, the Hindu island of Bali has become one of the most famous holiday destinations in the world. The following section deals with the beginnings of tourism in Bali, and the important role that imagery and image-making has played throughout Bali’s history. It all began, surprisingly enough, with the Dutch colonization of Indonesia in the 19th and early 20th centuries (Vickers). Before their arrival, Bali had become home to a small but prosperous community of Indonesia’s Hindu population, who lived under rule of their own regional lords and kingdoms. At first, the Dutch had no plans to commercially exploit Bali, and only resolved to incorporate it into their colonial empire for strategic reasons (Howe, 18). To protect Dutch interests in neighboring Java, they felt it expedient to control Bali. However, it took many bloody and violent expeditions over decades to even pacify the area; the Balinese fought aggressively against the Dutch, and surrendered little. In 1906, the Dutch invaded the southern kingdom of Badung for the last time, resulting in one of the most horrific battles of their occupation and a huge loss of innocent Balinese lives. News of these events brought strong protests in Holland, and triggered a change of strategy and policy in the Dutch colonisation of Indonesia. For Bali this meant two things - reforming Bali in the cause of peace and order (rust en orde) and supporting and preserving its people and culture. This preservation policy, then called the

‘Baliseering’ or ‘Balinisation of Bali’ amounted to a reconstitution of what the Dutch thought Balinese society must once have been, in part to lighten their own image in the eyes of their countrymen back home (Howe, 19). Ultimately, this project allowed the Dutch to present Bali as a showcase of enlightened colonial rule, while at the same time sweeping the 1906 atrocities under the rug.

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While they had once portrayed them as lawless, decadent and difficult, it was suddenly in Dutch interest to portray the Balinese as a unique and peaceful culture, undamaged by either time or war. In his book, Bali: Cultural Tourism and Touristic

Culture, leading anthropologist Michel Picard points out that, “Before their conquest, the Balinese had to be perceived as savages to be pacified; once the conquest was accomplished, they could become an exotic curiosity to be gazed at.” (27) Here, out of war, strategy and political oppresion, rose the first image of Bali as many know it today: as a last paradise, a land of plenty, in which most people spent their time performing ceremonies, dancing and making music. This image was so well-received by the rest of the world, that the Dutch effectively forced the Balinese to perpetuate it. They had to make art, build buildings and tend ricefields in traditional style - nothing must change (Pollman, 15). More than that, they outlawed ‘modern’ movements and clamped down on dissent. It’s interesting to see how out of one outside force - colonisation - came another: tourism. By 1914 the first tourists had landed in Bali, lured by its new image, described in brochures as the ‘Gem of the Lesser Sunda Isles’ (Howe, 26). In the next two to three decades Bali’s image of exotic beauty only grew, thanks to artists like Dutch illustrator W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, who called himself ‘The First Artist in Bali’, and Gregor Krause, who published lavish albums containing photographs, drawings and paintings, mostly of bare-breasted Balinese women and idyllic scenes of island life (fig. 2-6). The publication of these books stimulated tourism, and encouraged a number of European artists, novelists and musicians to visit and live in Bali (Howe, 29). Other artists including notable painters Walter Spies, Miguel Covarrubias and Adrian LeMayeur carried on this image-making tradition, putting Bali on the map as an

“Almost relentlessly, tourists are told that Bali is the ‘last paradise’, the ‘land of a thousand temples’, and that ‘every Balinese is an artist’.

island of unique cultural riches; again focusing on the island and people’s beauty (fig. 7-25). By Indonesia’s independence in 1945, this master-image of Bali had become not only prevalent worldwide, but also internalized by the Balinese themselves (Howe, 3).

Tourism in Bali: Today Looking at the evolution of Bali’s image since then, it strikes me how much of Bali’s image has been molded by outside forces. While Bali’s paradisial image was first created for political gain, since then it has been capitalized on for it’s economic advantages. As Picard explains, the transition went easily: “Their culture has become, for the Balinese, on the one hand what characterizes them as a specific society, and on the other hand what provides their tourist product with its distinguishing feature.” (1990: 74)

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Such images are myths, and like most myths they tell only a partial truth.” (Howe, 5)

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2 - 6: Photographs taken by Gregor Krause in Bali, 1912 - 1914. 7 - 8: Photographs taken by unknown photographers in Bali, circa 1920.

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9 - 15 : Photographs taken by unknown photographers in Bali, circa 1920 - 1930. 16 - 17 : Paintings by Walter Spies. Bali, 1939 and 1929.

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18 - 19 : Paintings by Walter Spies. Bali, 1938, 1928. 20 : â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bali Beautyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, Vanity Fair Cover by Miguel Covarrubias, 1936. 21 - 22: Painting by Miguel Covarrubias, 1943 and circa 1930.

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23 - 25 : Paintings by Adrien Le Mayeur. Bali, circa 1940.

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Since then, Bali - the image and the island - has largely tended to go where the money went. The general arc of Bali’s image evolution shows it following key trends of the entertainment and tourism industries. In the mid twentieth century, Bali’s portrayal as a paradisial, mysterious land was first brought to the masses through the film industry. Titles like the French produced, ‘Goona Goona’ (1932) and the American film ‘Legong: Dance of the Virgins’ (1935) started off a slew of productions which capitalized on Bali’s sensual, exotic allure (fig. 26-32). The beautiful, bare-chested Balinese woman continues through the years as a popular motif, so much so that ‘Bali’ was adopted to be the name of a new brand of bras popular in 1950-1970 America (fig. 32-33). Their tagline read ‘Bali: the bra that makes you feel

like a natural woman.’ Meanwhile, the global travel industry began to take off around the world. With the 1970s, mass tourism exploded onto the island, thanks to the building of Bali’s first international airport (Hitchcock, King & Parnwell, 79) and to cater to to this large audience of first-time travellers, Bali’s image took on a more romantic, wholesome tone (fig. 34-36). Also, Bali’s coasts begin to take centre stage, as the surfing community discovers the island. Today, Bali’s image is dominated by three main motifs: majestic temple scenes, idyllic beaches and high-end resorts (fig. 38-47). As luxury vacations and yoga retreats become a global trend, so you see it too becoming featured in Bali’s rhetoric (fig. 48-49). The 2010 film ‘Eat Pray Love’ cemented Bali’s status as an island of spiritually developed people, living in peaceful, joyous harmony (fig. 50-51). Lonely Planet guides still tout Bali as a ‘paradise’ (fig. 52), but specifically one of spiritual rejuvenation and relaxation. All in all, Bali seems to have become the perfect island getaway - blissfully unchanged in every way but the most convenient of western luxuries. In general, Bali’s image, has become it’s primary marketing tool, and as such says more about the buyers it’s trying to attract than the product it actually is selling. For example, most imagery about Bali neglect to show any traces of other tourists (fig. 53-55), while in the meantime, tourists threaten to outnumber residents on the island. Also missing from the imagery are authentic examples of Balinese daily life. Instead, we often see hyperbolic versions of a luxe ‘reality’, that contrast hugely with the local (and often poorer) reality (fig. 56-59). The overall trend is that ‘paradise’ has become glossy, safe - in many ways, familiar. While stereotypes have always been present in its imagery, today we see stereotypes of not just Balinese origin but of every island destination in the world. Luxury hotels, infinity swimming pools, white sand beaches, surfing camps and coconut cocktails: Bali’s face is becoming a mirror for whatever tourism trend is sweeping the world at that moment. This problem seems to be plaguing destinations all over the world. It all has to do with the phenomenon of place-marketing, which has become a multibillion dollar industry in its own right (Selby, 15). Just look at the sweeping city branding efforts helmed by places like New York City, London, or even Amsterdam. Bali has no such professionalised campaign or organization; which only means that it’s place marketing is largely decided by private-sector agencies, and private sector agendas.

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26 - 30: Artwork for major motion pictures about Bali, from 1930 - 1950s.

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31 - 32 : Artwork for major motion pictures about Bali, circa 1950 - 1960. 33 - 34 : Advertising for the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bali Braâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;,1957 and 1976.

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36 35 : Advertising for Garuda Airlines, circa 1960. 36 : Artwork for Baliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first ever surf competition, Om Bali Pro, 1982. 37 : Bali postcard, Periplus Publishers, circa 1995.

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38 - 41 : Bali postcards, Periplus Publishers, circa 1995 - 2000. 42 - 45 : Artwork for contests to win a trip to Bali, circa 2014.

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47 46 : Screenshot of first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’, May 19 2015. 47 : Screenshot of first page of most popular image results for ‘Bali’ on Shutterstock Stock Photos, May 19, 2015.

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48 : KLM Airlines advertising, 2012. 49 : Header image from travel guide Bali Bible.com, 2015. 50 - 51 : Stills from ‘Eat Pray Love’, set in Bali, 2010. 52 : Lonely Planet Online, ‘Introducing Bali & Lombok’, 2015.

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53 : Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’, next to image of the same location on Google Street View. 54 : Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’, next to image of the same hotel on Google Street View. 55 : Image from first page of Shutterstock Stock photos for ‘Bali’, next to image of the same place from Google Image Search results.

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56 : AirBnB listing from top AirBnB listings in Bali, next to image of average Balinese home as seen on Google Street View. 57 : AirBnB listing from top AirBnB listings in Bali, next to image of average Balinese home as seen on Google Street View. 58 : AirBnB listing from top AirBnB listings in Bali, next to image of average Balinese home as seen on Google Street View. 59 : AirBnB listing from top AirBnB listings in Bali, next to image of average Balinese home as seen on Google Street View.

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Writer Martin Selby warns that this kind of uncoordinated activity can be dangerous and reductive in the long term, as it “... can result in a ‘zero-sum’ game, whereby places are both developed and promoted in very similar ways... This may have the effect of making cities more alike, rather than celebrating their uniqueness.” (24) I see evidence of this in much of Bali’s imagery. For every image of a Balinese temple, there are two more images of a resort or an idyllic, generic white beach. In fact, top results for ‘Bali’ on Google Image Search often include images of beaches that are not even of Bali, or even of Indonesia (fig. 60-65).

“Place marketing involves the activities of both public and private-sector agencies, aimed at ‘selling’ the image of a particular locality in order to make it attractive (...)

What makes this problem urgent is that participating in this marketing game doesn’t just change the image of Bali, it changes the reality. While on the one hand Bali’s image is becoming more and more hyperbolic and distant from the real experience of the locals, on the other, it is building itself in that image. Bali’s Southern coasts are now dominated by luxury hotels, while further inland, its ricefields are being converted to buildings at a rate of 1000 hectares per year (The Jakarta Post, 8 April 2015). Often farmers sell their land to expats or tourists who fall in love with the island, or to developers of hotels and villas. Ultimately, I worry that the Balinese voice is getting drowned out by the noise of tourist dollars falling into already deep pockets. Speaking to the Vice-Chairman of the Bali Tourism Board, Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya, I asked him whether he shared my concerns, and whether he, as a Balinese, thought that Balinese culture could withstand current levels of mass tourism. He answered, “I believe that Balinese people will always maintain their own culture. But the problem is when Balinese people become the minority. This is why local governments need to control the growth of tourism.” This cautious answer only hints at the current situation in Bali, where more and more public protests are being held against the Indonesian government’s tourism agenda. One of Bali’s most prominent movements, ‘Bali Not For Sale’, is headed by Balinese artist Gede Sayur, who spoke to me about his views on tourism in Bali. “The majority of Balinese people are concerned. Many Balinese are being swept under by the tourism tide... If Bali continues to be seduced by it, in 50 years Bali will lose it’s character, and there will be nothing left to preserve.” In light of this, it has to be said that Balinese government has in more recent times begun to realize the dangers that unchecked development might bring and is now putting greater emphasis on the environment and sustainability. But not enough is being done. Building regulations have gradually been tightened and the development criteria expanded, but in April 2015, Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika submitted the province’s tourism road map to Bali councilors, setting the goal for 30 million foreign visitors by 2029 (The Jakarta Post, 25 April 2015).

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The emphasis is on encouraging footloose industries to locate and tourists to visit.” (Selby, 15)

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60 : Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’. Actual location of image: Agatti island, India. 61 : Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’. Actual location of image: Bora Bora, French Polynesia. 62 : Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’. Actual location of image: unidentified Asian island. 63 : Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’. Actual location of image: the Maldives islands. 64 : Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’. Actual location of image: unidentified beach, possibly Maldives. 65 : Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’. Actual location of image: Cuba.

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Faced with this, Wijaya explains his personal stance, “The central Indonesian government officially want to have more tourists. But the Balinese people, including me, want quality and not quantity - better tourists and better tourism.” All in all, that Bali needs better tourism, is as clear as day. But is good tourism attainable at all? In an interview with Stephen Hodes, tourism expert and originator of

Amsterdam: Anticipating the Future, I asked him this very question. “Yes. Though you have to be radical. You have to experiment. And the only way it’ll work is if you’re going to have an integrated plan, an overall plan. If the hotels are doing one thing, and the tourist organization is doing something else, and the city planners are doing something else, it’s never going to work.” In the context of Bali, I asked him what his experience was of visiting the island. “I went to Bali for a week and I left there saying I will never return. And why did I get upset? Because I saw all the money going to foreign investors. Nothing of tourism, or so very little of it, remains in the local economy. (...) There’s such a discrepancy between these very luxurious resorts, which have nothing to do with Bali, and the people and the place itself. I didn’t really have a Balinese experience. That was very much my conclusion. I could have been anywhere.” His words drove home an earlier point I’ve made, which is that this mismatch between realities, or identities of Bali, is creating disenchantment on both the local’s side as well as the tourist’s side. Nobody is winning here - besides the hoteliers and foreign investors. Increasingly, there is more economic exchange happening than cultural exchange. Speaking on the relationship between Bali’s tourist experience and Bali’s image, Hodes explained that, “The problem with Bali is, in fact, if it were you as a person, you have outsourced your image to somebody else. (...) The image is being created by someone who is not involved in the identity. They are just idealizing.”

make that choice, and the people who don’t want to live in Disneyland can

“I’ve been involved in tourism for 30 years, and in the last 20 years I’ve been waving the flag and saying ‘things are going to get out of hand.’”

leave.”

(Hodes)

Is the tourism problem as urgent in Amsterdam as it is in Bali, I wondered? “It’s very urgent. But even here in Amsterdam, the subject is a no-go area. (...) You know, you and I think it’s terrible, but every year 18 million people go to Disneyland, to have a totally programmed, processed experience. There’s a large group of people who want that - but there’s a large group of people who don’t want that, and that’s my discussion with the city of Amsterdam: make a choice. This is going to become Disneyland, and if that’s what you want it to be, then

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Strong words, and ones that confirm the relevance and scale of this problem. While in many ways, Bali does have a unique relationship with tourism, its problems are recognizable everywhere - and thus it is the responsibility of everyone to start making better choices when it comes to tourism.

Conclusion This research explains in further detail the role that image plays in the development of a tourism destination. Bali in particular, is struggling under the weight of its lucrative, idealized image, which through the years has become less unique and more processed. Locals benefit least from this trend, and my conclusion is that Bali too needs to make a choice, and it needs to make it now. If I could physically limit foreign arrivals in Bali, and stop all new hotel developments with the snap of my fingers, I would. But short of that, in my role as a graphic designer, what I can do is first of all increase the discussion around imagery and tourism, and secondly visualize the choices that we have ahead of us - for better tourism, or worse.

Position as a graphic designer Throughout the last few years, I have become fascinated by the image industry and our addiction to visual consumption. In particular, the way the media uses images to not just capture but give meaning and value to our reality, is only getting more and more significant. As media specialist Douglas Kellner points out in his 2002 essay, Critical Perspec-

tives on Visual Imagery in Media and Cyberculture: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We live in an era in which mass-produced and multimedia visual imagery is ever more central to our culture. From the computer and television screens that greet us as we wake up in the morning, to the headlines and images in the daily newspaper, to the billboards and advertising that clutter our cities, to the movies, television, and multimedia cyberspaces that instruct and entertain us, we find ourselves in a highly saturated culture of the image and spectacle.â&#x20AC;? Following this, as a graphic designer, I think I have a responsibility to not just create images but also to be critical of the existing image culture. When it comes to the imagery of Bali as a product, this means being critical of the agendas of the image-makers themselves, the resulting image as perceived by tourists, and the effect this has on the locals - both in the short term and the long term. This critical outlook on the commercialization of images and culture is something I carry through in all of my work as a designer. It is also one of the reasons why I have always been more attracted to the autonomous practice than the commercial practice.

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PART 2: HOW & FOR WHOM Target Audience I decided during my research that I wanted my project to intervene in the earliest phase of tourism: the choice of destination and the preparation to travel. This is the phase where imagery has the most influence, and where expectations are formed. Practically, it is also the phase in which I as a designer, living here in Holland, can reach first-time tourists to Bali and confront their expectations, and trigger them to make the choice to be a more informed and ‘better’ tourist. This last part is important - I wanted this project to be more activistic than just informative, it had to go beyond infographics or a presentation of new/alternative images of Bali. Visual Research Approach Looking at all of the research I amassed, I picked out two problems that I found most important as well as most interesting for me to work with as a designer: 1. Bali’s increasingly glossy/generic image attracts more but not better tourists. 2. This leads to an unhealthy divide between the tourist realities and the local realities of Bali. The second point became especially obvious when I interviewed several Balinese locals with the simple question: What are the first words that come to mind when you think of Bali, and how do you think the average tourist would answer that same question? Their answers confirm my statement and also show that there is a growing sense of dissatisfaction among Balinese locals with the current state of tourism in Bali. Local descriptions of Bali

Local’s idea of foreigner descriptions of Bali

Foreigner descriptions of Bali

Culture, tradition, home, family, smiles, ceremonies, prayers, construction, corruption, pollution, good food, motorbikes, ricefields, nature, friction, change, a thousand temples to a thousand hotels, buildings everywhere

Cheap booze, easy getaway, big party, Kuta, paradise, palm trees, spiritual journey, beaches, good weather, Bintang (Indonesian beer), cheap shopping, surfing, Ubud, yoga, escape

Paradise, palm trees, relaxed island, beaches, expats, tropical, surfing, ocean, worry-free vacation, elephants, the sea, beach huts, warm weather, scooters, romance, tourists, cocktails

*See Appendix 3 for full answers.

As I carried out this small exercise, it struck me how evocative word choices can be. Comparing the language used by locals and tourists made more of a visceral impact for me than comparing images or photographs taken by locals and tourists. Looking at cultural/social projects by Annelys De Vet, Martijn Engelbregt etc. (fig. 66-70) I saw that they also often used language and wit instead of pure imagery to trigger their audiences into discussion/response. Paul Elliman also shows the impact of presenting the visual language of his collected texts. Also interesting is that words refer to an author in a more immediate way than images, which is a very important aspect of the statement I want to make. I want to raise discussion not just about the kind of brand that Bali is becoming, but also of who is driving this evolution.

Natasha Berting

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Research Document

66 : ‘My Cup of Thoughts’ by Annelys de Vet. A series of ‘conversation pieces’ using ordinary objects as a medium, 2012. 67 : ‘Made in China’ by Disarming Design for Palestine. A comment on the amount of chinese tourist products in Palestine, 2013. 68 : ‘London is Changing’ by Rebecca Ross. A campaign giving voice to London city’s inhabitants, 2015. 69: ‘Zonde/Pity’ by Martijn Engelbregt. A series of public textual interventions, 2007. 70: ‘Voices Falling’ by Paul Elliman. Collected headlines from St. Paul’s Cathedral newsletters, 1990.

Natasha Berting

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Research Document

71 : Cutouts from commercial material mentioning ‘Bali’ dated before 1970. 72 : Cutouts from commercial material mentioning ‘Bali’ dated after 1990.

Natasha Berting

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Graphic Design

Research Document

I decided that focusing on language could give my project a more direct and dialogic quality than working with photographs or images of Bali. Also, word use is quantifiable in a way that images are not. I looked back through the images I collected and began to take note of the language used to market Bali. Hyperbolic, marketing terms jumped out at me - words like ‘paradise’ ‘island of the Gods’ ‘tropical getaway’ and ‘luxury resorts’. I collected as much commercial material about Bali as I could find - looking at the most popular travel guides and magazines, airline advertisements, hotel brochures, AirBnB listings, tourism boards, postcards, book and film titles, and travel blogs. I based this collection sample on the sources that the average first-time tourist to Bali would come into contact with as they prepare for their trip. Together with their naive image of Bali, this information would make up much of their knowledge and expectation of the island. As I documented the word use and frequency across these sources, patterns clearly emerged. Just like in the images, the language used to describe Bali has become dominated by lucrative sell-words and stereotypes. After of a total of more than 500 source samples, the words used most often turned out to be ‘beach’, ‘resort’ and

Most used words in commercial texts about Bali:

‘luxury’ - words that, like Stephen Hodes mentioned in his interview, could be used to describe any place in the world. Even the visual language showed this same loss of uniqueness and atmosphere (fig. 71-72) and descriptions of Bali have become almost indistinguishable to those of other island destinations (fig. 73-74). This spiral into superficiality and blandness became the crux of my project - and the key problem I am trying to visualize. Design Approach Knowing this, the next question was: How could I show the results of my language research in a way that made a visual but also emotional impact? All of my design decisions came down to one crucial point: that I wanted to place the audience in the role of the tourist. Through this point of view, seeing the words ‘beach’, ‘resort’ and ‘luxury’ dominating the marketing (and also real) landscape of Bali should be uncomfortable - it should raise the question: why would I, as a tourist, go to Bali for this experience? Why is this version of ‘paradise’ the one that is the most lucrative? What culture (and future) of tourism am I buying into? Ultimately, the media that I chose to work with is the souvenir and the guidebook. These are objects that place you in the tourism context, but also in a consumer context. These objects also carry with them certain assumptions. A guidebook tells you where to go and what to experience on your trip. Souvenirs, when bought, are reflections, of either your experience of a place or your image of it. Replacing these objects’ contents with the top 3 most used words immediately asks the audience to make a choice. Is this, what you, as a tourist are looking for? No matter what your answer is, the objects visualize what could happen should Bali’s image and tourism be left unregulated. In many ways, it is a design fiction - but in more ways, it is actually a reflection of reality.

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Graphic Design

1. Beach 2. Resort / Villa 3. Luxury 4. Temple 5. Spa 6. Paradise 7. Pool 8. Culture 9. View 10. Ricefields

Research Document

73 : Destination descriptions by KLM Airlines for Curacao, Bali & Bangkok, with location names hidden. 74 : Destination descriptions by Four Seasons Resorts for Mauritius & Bali.

Natasha Berting

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Graphic Design

Research Document

This tension between reflecting reality and fiction is something I tried to keep in the visual aesthetic of the project. Almost every formal decision is inspired by the reality of the material I collected - the generic fonts used in the hotel brochures, and the sense that the words are ‘cut-out’ from their original sources.

Bali’s Exclusive nation Resort

Your Private Beach true Luxury Other decisions, like keeping a strictly black and white color palette, make sure that visually, the objects look repetitive, overwhelming, bland. The final product is a collection of postcards, t-shirts, incense packages, temporary tattoos, beach towels all ‘selling’ the tourist experience of ‘Beach’, ‘Luxury’ and ‘Resort’. The guidebook gives more context, on the source material and also more information on tourism in Bali in general.

this resortthis resort

beach beach beach beach beach

luxur yy luxur luxur y luxury luxur y luxury LUXURY luxury luxury luxury LUXURY luxury

the beach here the luxury the luxury here and the luxury here and here the beach this resort the beach here here thisand resort

ininin luxury and inin luxury and in luxury and inluxury luxury and in garden view luxury five resorts five star resorts fivestar star resorts beach luxe villas for rent

star resorts fivefive star resorts five star resorts beach

resort and beach a the beach here beach a resort and the beach here villas villas resorts resorts and and

Postcard designs of final product.

Natasha Berting

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Graphic Design

Research Document

PART 3: REFLECTION On Process - Collaboration and communication with Sandra Kassenaar Choosing Sandra Kassenaar as an external partner turned out to be one of the best decisions for this project. She was crucial in always reminding me that even though I love to research and to be a visual journalist, what I am first and foremost - in this project at least - is a graphic designer. She also advised me early on to focus my efforts on doing something small, but well - so not to try and save Bali with an anti-tourism campaign, for example, but to pick one problem that I could visualize strongly and make very clear. With her guidance, I think this project succeeded where my minor project didn’t - in creating visual impact and showing my understanding of media use. On the final product: Strengths - Choice of medium I struggled at first with finding the right medium for my message, but am very glad with the collection of objects I ended up with. I think it was important to use the guidebook & the souvenir for their inherent associations, and how they reflect the tourist experience: the former is something you take with you on a trip, and the latter is something you bring back. On the final product: Weaknesses - Translation from research to visual design While I think the depth of the research is some of the best I’ve ever done, I need to take more time and be more critical of the way I translate my research into the visual design. Aesthetically, some of the formal decisions I made in the design of the book & the souvenirs (like the variations, and repetitions, and page layout of the book) aren’t as effective or dialogic as I wanted them to be. I need to think about design earlier during my research, and continue to research while I design. This is something I’ve been working on for a while, and hope to improve in the future. Conclusion & Vision I’m satisfied with the outcome of this project, but what I take most from it is that it says something about the kind of graphic designer I want to be. It shows my love for language, my interest in cultural issues, in visual journalism and research-based design. It also triggered in me a desire to work with the subject of tourism in future projects. There are so many aspects to this problem that I want to explore, and I hope to continue this project in Bali one day.

Natasha Berting

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Graphic Design

Works Cited

Print Ashley, Caroline, Charlotte Boyd and Harold Goodwin. “Pro-Poor Tourism: Putting Poverty at the Heart of the Tourism Agenda.” Natural Resource Perspectives, 51 (2000): 1-6. De Baan, Christine. “Mare Nostrum.” Exhibition catalogue, De Zondvloed. Rotterdam: International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam, 2005. Deutinger, Theo. “Tourists - Another Nomadic Society.” Amsterdam: Anticipating the Future. Issue 1 2015: 64-65. Hitchcock, Michael, Victor T. King, and Michael J. G. Parnwell, eds. Tourism in South-East Asia. London: Routledge, 1993. Hodes, Stephen. “Stad in Balans.” Amsterdam: Anticipating the Future. Issue 1 2015: 15-17. Howe, Leo. The Changing World of Bali: Religion, Society and Tourism. London: Routledge, 2005. Krotz, Larry. Tourists: How our Fastest Growing Industry is Changing the World. Boston: Faber and Faber, 1996. Minca, Claudio. “The Bali Syndrome: The explosion and implosion of ‘exotic’ tourist spaces.” Routledge Journal for Tourism Geographies 2.4 (2000): 389 - 403. Nurhayati, Desy. “Trouble in Paradise.” The Jakarta Post, 8 January 2015: 8-9. Picard, Michel. Bali: Cultural Tourism and Touristic Culture. Singapore: Archipelago Press, 1996. Pollman, T. “Margaret Mead’s Balinese: The Fitting Symbols of the American Dream”. Indonesia 49 (1990): 1 - 35. Rifkin, Jeremy. The Age of Access. New York: Tarcher, 2001. Vickers, A. Bali, A Paradise Created. Berkeley: Periplus, 1989. Web Indonesia. Bali Government Tourism Office. Table: The Number of Foreign Tourists Arrival to Bali By Month 20082015. Denpasar: Bali Government Tourism Office, 23 April 2015. Web. 10 May 2015. Nurhayati, Desi. “Experts question Bali’s ambitious tourist target.” The Jakarta Post, 25 April 2015. Web. 10 May 2015. World Tourism Organization. Tourism Highlights report (2014 Edition). Madrid: United Nations World Tourism Organization, 2014. PDF file. 21 March 2015. Salazar, Noel B. and Nelson H. H. Graburn. “Tourism Imaginaries: Anthropological Approaches”. Anthropology Review. New York and Oxford: Berghahn, 2014. Web. 12 March 2015. Interviews Hodes, Stephen. Personal Interview. 14 April 2015. Sayur, Gede. E-mail interview. 13 April 2015. Wijaya, Ida Bagus Ngurah. E-mail interview. 30 March 2015.

Natasha Berting

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Works Cited

Images Fig 1. Gpointstudio. Happy tourists sightseeing city with map. Digital image. Shutterstock. Web. 12 May 2015. Fig 2-6. Krause, Gregor. Collection of photographs from Bali, 19121914. Photographs. Museum Volkenkunde, Leiden. Het Geheugen van Nederland. Web. 30 March 2015. Fig 7-15. Unknown photographers. Bali, circa 1920-1930. Photographs. Old Bali Photos. Web. 30 March 2015. < https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set =a.120892857968033.20679.120689897988329&type=3>. Fig 16. Spies, Walter. The Landscape and her Children. 1939. The Artnet. Web. 25 March 2015. Fig 17. Spies, Walter. Balinese Legend. 1929. Christie’s: The Art People. Web. 25 March 2015. Fig 18. Spies, Walter. Die Kleinen Nebel. 1938. Sheffield Hallam University. Web. 25 March 2015. Fig 19. Spies, Walter. Road on Bali. 1928. Sheffield Hallam University. Web. 25 March 2015. Fig 20. Covarrubias, Miguel. Bali Beauty. 1936. Sheffield Hallam University. Web. 25 March 2015. Fig 21. Covarrubias, Miguel. Rice Granary, Bali. 1943. Paramour Fine Arts. Web. 25 March 2015. Fig 22. Covarrubias, Miguel. Bathing in the river. circa 1930. Christie’s: The Art People. Web. 30 March 2015. Fig 23. Le Mayeur, Adrien. Balinese maidens. circa 1940. Sotheby’s. Web. 30 March 2015. Fig 24. Le Mayeur, Adrien. Balinese beauties on shore at sunset. circa 1940. Christie’s: The Art People. Web. 30 March 2015. Fig 25. Le Mayeur, Adrien. Dancing. circa 1940. Christie’s: The Art People. Web. 30 March 2015. Fig 26. Unknown artist. Poster for Goona-Goona film.1932 . Old Bali Photos. Web. 30 March 2015. Fig 27. Unknown artist. Poster for ‘Djanger: Love Rites of Bali’ film. 1935. Ecco Film and Video. Web. 25 March 2015. Fig 28. Unknown artist. Poster for ‘Legong: Dance of the Virgins’ film. 1935. IMDB. Web. 25 March 2015. Fig 29. Unknown artist. Poster for ‘Virgins of Bali’ film. 1932. Movie Poster Exchange. Web. 25 March 2015. Natasha Berting

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Fig 30. Unknown artist. Poster for ‘Road to Bali’ film. 1952. Movie Poster Exchange. Web. 25 March 2015. Fig 31. Unknown artist. Poster for ‘Bali L’incontro D’Amore’ film. 1970. Film/TV Italia. Web. 25 March 2015. Fig 32. Unknown artist. Poster for ‘Virgins of Bali’ film. 1932. Ecco Film and Video. Web. 25 March 2015. Fig 33. Bali Bra. Advertisement. 1957. Digital image. Jumping Frog. Web. 12 May 2015. <http://www.jumpingfrog.com/images/magazineads3/mad4298.jpg> Fig 34. Bali Bra. Advertisement. 1976. Digital image. Flickr. Web. 12 May 2015. < https://www.flickr.com/photos/29069717@ N02/14463375787/> Fig 35. Garuda Indonesia Airways. Advertisement. circa 1960. Digital image. Postcards from Indonesia. Web. 25 March 2015. < https://1961worldtrip.wordpress.com/2010/10/24/postcards-from-indonesia/> Fig 36. Om Bali Pro Surf Competition. Advertisement. 1982. Bali Surf Stories. Web. 30 March 2015. < https://balisurfstories.files. wordpress.com/2013/07/om-bali-pro1.jpg > Fig 37. Bali postcard. Periplus Publishers, circa 1995. Web. 25 March 2015. < http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w5MLprwRshs/UTsN9fwOiJI/AAAAAAAAJwc/NZxMsOyHw4g/s1600/3.jpg> Fig 38 & 39. Bali postcard. Periplus Publishers, circa 1995 - 2000. Flickr. Web. 25 March 2015. < http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/bali,postcard/Interesting> Fig 40. Bali postcard. Periplus Publishers, circa 1995 - 2000. Photography Indonesia. Web. 25 March 2015. < https://photographyindonesia.wordpress.com/category/bali/page/6/> Fig 41. Bali postcard. Periplus Publishers, circa 1995 - 2000. Tour of Bali. Web. 25 March 2015. < http://www.tourofbali.com/> Fig 42-45. Images from first page of Google Image Search Results for search term “Win a trip to Bali.” Web. 19 March 2015. Fig 46. First page of image search results for “Bali”. Google Image Search. Author’s screenshot. 19 May 2015. Fig 47. Most popular image search results for “Bali”. Shutterstock. Author’s screenshot. 19 May 2015. Fig 48. KLM Airlines. ‘Win A Stay In Bali’ Advertisement. 2012. Digital Image. KLM Book and Win. Web. 19 March 2015. Fig 49. Bali Bible. ‘30 Images To Make You Want To Go To Ubud’.

Graphic Design

Works Cited

Digital Image. Bali Bible. Web. 25 March 2015. < http://www.thebalibible.com/bali/30-images-to-make-you-want-to-go-to-ubud>

Right: View of a house in South Central Bali. Google Street View. 2015. Author’s screenshot. 18 March 2015.

Fig 50-51. Eat Pray Love. Stills. Dir. Ryan Murphy. Perf. Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem. Columbia Pictures, 2010.

Fig 60. Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’. Singapore to Bali. Web.19 May 2015. < https://twitter.com/singaporetobali >

Fig 52. Lonely Planet. Introducing Bali & Lombok page. Lonely Planet Online. Author’s screenshot. 06 April 2015. Fig 53. Left: Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’. N.p. N.d. My Destination. Web. 18 March 2015. < http://cdnstatic-2.mydestination.com/library/images/610160_1680_948.jpg> Right: Pura Ulun, Danau Bratan. Google Street View. 2015. Author’s screenshot. 18 March 2015. Fig 54. Left: Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’. N.p. N.d. Centenary Club. Web. 18 March 2015. < http://www.centenaryclub.com/searchresults2/pictures/listings/390_16.jpg> Right: Ayana Resort and Spa Bali. Google Street View. 2015. Author’s screenshot. 18 March 2015. Fig 55. Left: Howey, Chris. Image from first page of Shutterstock search results for ‘Bali’. Shutterstock. Web. 12 April 2015. < http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-94208635/stock-photo-colorful-beach-umbrellas-and-pillows-in-kuta-bali.html?src=9yocrQKkqkHBkGbDvkieoA-1-4 > Right: Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘La Plancha Bali’. Google Image Search. 2015. Web.18 March 2015. < http://i.ytimg.com/vi/FGmmwee44ak/maxresdefault.jpg > Fig 56. Left: Donna. Madu Bulan 1, Sunrise Villa Bali. AirBnB. Web. 19 May 2015. From top listings in Bali. Right: View of a house in South Central Bali. Google Street View. 2015. Author’s screenshot. 18 March 2015.

Fig 61. Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’. Virtus Vita. Web.19 May 2015. < http://www.virtusvita.com/destination/details/bali > Fig 62. Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’. TravelDilse.com. Web.19 May 2015. < http://traveldilse.com/international-packages/bali > Fig 63. Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’. All Star Hotels. Web.19 May 2015. < http://www.allstarhotels.com.au/discover-budget-inns-in-bali/ > Fig 64. Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’. Bali Island Experience. Web.19 May 2015. < http://baliislandexperience.com/ > Fig 65. Image from first page of Google Image Search results for ‘Bali’. Izlet Na Dlani. Web.19 May 2015. < http://izletnadlani.com/letalske-karte-iz-benetk-s-povratkom-vtrst-na-bali-ze-za-419-eur/> Fig 66. De Vet, Annelys. My Cup Of Thoughts. 2012. Droog. Bureau De Vet. Web. 30 March 2015. Fig 67. Bruhl, Tessel. Made in China. 2013. Disarming Design from Palestine. Web. 30 March 2015. Fig 68. Ross, Rebecca. London is Changing. 2015. London is Changing. Web. 10 April 2015. Fig 69. Engelbregt, Martijn. Zonde/Pity. 2007. Circus Engelbregt. Web. 10 April 2015.

Fig 57. Left: Philippe. 5min Seminyak 4BR villa with a view. AirBnB. Web. 19 May 2015. From top listings in Bali.

Fig 70. Elliman, Paul. Voices Falling. 1990. Web. 19 May 2015.

Right: View of a house in South Central Bali. Google Street View. 2015. Author’s screenshot. 18 March 2015.

Fig 71. Cutouts from a variety of commercial material mentioning ‘Bali’ dated 1920 - 1970. Web and print.

Fig 58. Left: Beby. Tropical Suite Villa Private Pool 5. AirBnB. Web. 19 May 2015. From top listings in Bali.

Fig 72. Cutouts from a variety of commercial material mentioning ‘Bali’ dated 1990 - 2015. Web and print.

Right: View of a house in South Central Bali. Google Street View. 2015. Author’s screenshot. 18 March 2015.

Fig 73. Destination descriptions by KLM Airlines for Curacao, Bali & Bangkok. KLM Airlines. 2015. Author’s screenshot. 18 April 2015.

Fig 59. Left: Bounty. Villa Bounty, Canggu. AirBnB. Web. 19 May 2015. From top listings in Bali.

Fig 74. Destination descriptions by Four Seasons Resorts, Mauritius & Bali. Four Seasons Resorts. 2015. Author’s screenshot. 18 April 2015.

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Appendix 1

Stephen Hodes. Personal Interview. 14 April, 2015. Q: What made you want to make your magazine, Anticipating the Future, now? A: Because it’s very urgent. I’ve been involved in tourism for 30 years, and in the last 20 years I’ve been waving the flag and saying ‘things are going to get out of hand’. And I’ve been made out for all kinds of terrible things. Because people don’t want to hear this. Tourism is of such economic importance. Even in a city like Amsterdam where we have a very wealthy community, of highly educated people, the subject here is a total no-go area. You know, you and I think it’s terrible, but every year 18 million people go to Disneyland, to have a totally programmed, processed experience. There’a a large group of people who want that - and who am I to say that that’s not OK - but there’s a large group of people who don’t want that, and that’s my discussion with the city of Amsterdam - make a choice. This is going to become Disneyland, and if that’s what you want it to be, then make that choice, and the people who don’t want to live in Disneyland can leave Q: Do you believe that there’s a point of no return when it comes to tourism? A: Absolutely. The point of no return for Amsterdam will be here in 10 years. I think Bali has gone over the point of no return. Q: So is there such thing as ‘good’ tourism then? A: Yes. But it’s a very difficult question. Someone here literally said, in response to my magazine, ‘tourism is like rape. You can either resist it, or lie back and enjoy it. But there are alternatives. Like Bhutan. They are trying to control tourism, and they’ve done one thing which I think is really fabulous. Which is, as a tourist, you have to spend $250 a day, and $65 dollars from this, every day, goes to education, and alleviating poverty of the local population. Here, if you even suggest putting up the tourist tax by 1%, everyone cries out ‘disaster, disaster! We’re going to go bankrupt!’ But as far as I’m concerned everyone who comes here should pay 20 euros to the city, to the renovation and design of the city. There are ways you could influence this.

That was very much my conclusion. I could have been anywhere. In the hotel, there was a total divide between people who have money - the guests - and people who don’t - the staff. But the quality was phenomenal, I came back feeling rejuvenated, the weather was spectacular, I swam and relaxed. But I could have done that anywhere, there was nothing local about that experience. But for a lot of people, that’s OK. Q: It seems to me like tourism is no longer really about experiencing the place you’re going to - it’s just about not being at home. A: Yes, about getting away from it all. So you come to the conclusion that you have travelers and you have tourists. And you have different types of experiences that people are looking for. Q: My point of focus is imagery. I want to explore the divide between the image-makers and the real, local inhabitants of Bali. Because the Balinese are losing any say they have over how their island is being bought and sold. What is your opinion on that? A: That’s a big issue. So the problem with Bali is, in fact, if it were you as a person, you have outsourced your image to somebody else. So you’ve turned a country, or an island in this case, into a consumer article, when it’s not a consumer article, it’s a living culture. If your image is this - and your identity is that, then you’re in severe trouble. Because you think, that people see you one way, when in fact they see you in another. It only works when image and identity run parallel to each other. Now, very few of us achieve that. But if you were to do a mini research project, and you were to write down what your image is of yourself, and then you ask 5 people who know you really well to write down what their image is of you - if that’s too far apart, then you have a severe problem. Because you’re not who you are, or you’re not being perceived as who you are. And that’s the same with a country. And the image is being created by someone who is not involved in the identity. They’re just idealizing.

The only way you’re going to achieve better tourism, is if you’re going to have an integrated plan, an overall plan. If the hotels are doing one thing, and the tourist organization is doing that, and the city planners are doing something else, it’s never going to work. But that’s the way it is everywhere. I’ve been talking to the Amsterdam marketing and tourism organizations here, and they’re not happy with the magazine. They’re not happy at all. Why? Because they are evaluated on the number of tourists every year. So if there is growth, then they can say that they are doing a good job. And I’m saying we should want less tourists, but better tourists. Q: You’ve just come back from a holiday in Bali. What was your experience there? A: Well what I saw was, if you walk around Bali, you don’t really have a Balinese experience, because all the shops and the art galleries are geared towards tourism. And when I ask myself, do I go there for this experience? I think no, I go to Bali to experience Bali. There’s such a discrepancy between these very luxurious resorts, which have nothing to do with Bali, and the people and the place itself.

Natasha Berting

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Works Cited

Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya. Email Interview. 30 March, 2015. Q: How would you describe Bali’s relationship with tourism? A: As a small island, Bali has no heavy industry or natural resources to tap as a source of income. Bali has only its culture to attract visitors and also investment. Q: When did tourism first explode in Bali & what do you think started the global interest in Bali as a destination? A: In the beginning visitors came to Bali to study our culture. Anthropologists, writers and artists first came to Bali during the Dutch occupation in the early 20th century. Tourists started come to Bali at the end of the 1950’s. After that it was the surfers and hippies that came in the early 1960’s. Since then Bali became popular as a mass tourist destination. I think people still visit Bali first and foremost for its culture. Q: Tourism as an industry does not always benefit the poor. Research suggests that in many developing countries, about 55% of profits that come in through tourism, is immediately transferred out of the country again, to foreign owners or multinationals. What do you think is the situation in Bali? A: Most of the big investors in Bali are Indonesian investors from big cities in the country like Jakarta, Bandung, & Surabaya. And most tour operators (hotel, travel agencies) are controlled by foreign companies. Though it’s true that many Balinese work in the tourism sector, it’s mostly contained in small and medium scale businesses. You most often see them in the souvenir industry, or in small scale hotel/hostel businesses. Local governments do what they can to assist the local community to preserve their culture, by organizing assistance and financial support. But most of the profits from tourist do go to investors. Q: What do you think is the best way to protect Balinese culture from destructive forces of tourism? Are you ever afraid that one day the Balinese culture will be lost? A: I believe that Balinese people will always maintain their own culture. But the problem is when Balinese people become the minority. This is why local governments need to control the growth of tourism.

Gede Sayur. Email Interview. 13 April, 2015. Q: As an artist and a Balinese, what was your reason for founding the project ‘Bali Not For Sale’? A: As an artist born and raised in Bali, the project ‘Not for Sale’ is one way for me to return to the fundamental values of Balinese life, which is strongly connected to the concept of ‘Tri Hita Karana’: the balance between man and God, man and man, and man and environment. Q: In today there are a few movements against the growth of tourism. To what extent do you think the average Balinese person is concerned about this issue? A: The majority of Balinese people are concerned, that’s sure. They see that many Balinese are being swept under by the tourism tide. Q: In your opinion, what is the effect of tourism on the average Balinese person? A: Tourism definitely has benefits, but not for everyone. Many tourism practices need to be improved, there is too much imbalance and not enough transparency in the system. Q: If things continue the way they are, what do you think Bali would look like in 50 years? A: If Bali continues to be seduced by tourism, in 50 years Bali will lose it’s character, and there will be nothing left to preserve. Q: How do you respond to the way Bali’s image of a ‘beach paradise’? What would you like tourists to learn/see/do while they are in Bali? A: Maybe many people who come to Bali fall in love with the beaches, but marketing Bali as a ‘beach paradise’ is not something I wholly agree with... There are many things we have to preserve and celebrate other than our beaches. Bali is not just a beautiful island, it’s a sacred place, and we need to protect its spirit. In my opinion this spirit is also what will give us the strength to preserve Bali in the future.

Q: What is your definition of a ‘good’ tourist? A: A good tourist is someone who respects the local culture. Q: Movements like Bali Tolak Reklamasi and Bali Not For Sale suggest that many locals are not happy with the current situation. Is there a master plan for Bali’s tourism management? A: The central Indonesian government officially want to have more tourists. But the Balinese people, including me, want less quantity and more quality - better tourists and better tourism. Q: As a Balinese, what is the one thing you wish tourists would learn/see/do while they are in Bali? A: I would like more tourists to see and learn about daily life in Bali. The way the Balinese live.

Natasha Berting

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Graphic Design

Works Cited

Survey carried out on Facebook, with ‘Locals’: people who were born and/or raised in Bali, and ‘Foreigners’: people who have never been to Bali. 28 March 2015.

Local descriptions of Bali

Local’s idea of foreigner descriptions of Bali

Culture, tradition

Paradise, beautiful beaches

home, family, construction, corruption, pollution, good food, the beach

Kuta, party, Bintang (Indonesian beer), surfing, good food, beaches and yoga

smiles, good food, motorbikes, mountains, nature, nightlife

cheap booze, party, Kuta beach, cheap foot massages, Sky Garden discotheque, cheap DVDs

prayers, good food, too much trash

deserted beaches, exotic food, big party

friction, bipolar, a thousand temples to athousand hotels, change

coconuts on the beach, escape and paradise

home, family, nature, culture, ceremonies, fresh juices, happy people, laughing, sambal, nasi, incredible food

paradise, palm trees, beautiful beaches, good food, Ubud, Kuta, party, rice fields, good weather

Foreigner descriptions of Bali 1

Paradise, beaches, expats, tropical

beautiful relaxed island and riding a bicycle amongst the palm trees

palm trees, elephants, beach huts, roofs made of straw

Paradise, pocahontas, blue water, coconuts, temples

warm weather, scooters, romance, tourists, cocktails

worry-free vacation, on the bucket list

Natasha Berting

0845942

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