'Holidays in hell' in Bali: Aussies see the beauty in

the beast

Stephanie Gardiner

April 8, 2011 - 2:44PM

• Vote

Foreign tourists and locals walk along the popular Kuta Beach covered with debris and rubbish. Photo: AFP

Australians have a strong affinity with Bali and will keep going, travel agents say, despite it being

dubbed "holidays in hell" by Time magazine.

The magazine says the island is struggling with waste and some of its famous beaches are strewn with

rubbish.

Bali tourism agency head Ida Bagus Subhiksu said up to 300 garbage trucks a day were needed to collect

rubbish in the Kuta area, a prime tourist spot.

"We are not closing our eyes. It's true that we have a waste problem," he said.

But Flight Centre spokesman Haydn Long said it remains one of the top 10 destinations for

Australian travellers, because of its affordability, proximity and luxurious resorts.

Many are repeat customers and rarely complained about Kuta Beach, he said.

A foreign tourist walks past debris and rubbish at Kuta Beach. Photo: AFP

Visitor numbers to Bali are growing - 2.3 million foreign tourists came last year and 2.5 million are

expected this year.

"With most destinations, there's positives and negatives," Mr Long said.

"Aussies are pretty resilient and nothing really fazes them too much when they're on holidays."

He said Australians felt strongly about supporting Bali in the wake of the 2002 and 2005 bombings.

"We were getting calls from people saying 'Can I still get there? I still want to go. I love Bali, I love the

people, the worst thing I can do is not go to Bali, they need my help more than ever now.'"

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics tourism figures from December, 683,700 Aussies visited

Indonesia last year, a jump of nearly 21 per cent from 2009.

It was the third most popular destination after New Zealand and the United States.

"Kuta, Bali is very commercial but still a nice spot for a conventional beach holiday if that's what you want,"

British traveller Cazmondo said.

Bali local Putusukma said Kuta's beaches could get messy with garbage from the river flow, but there were

plenty of alternative beaches.

But others wrote about the joys of getting off the beaten track and discovering some of its hidden

gems.

"I feel really blessed experiencing a Bali that the majority of tourist never sees. I know to some Bali

does seem overly developed and this is true but if you do try you can still find the real Bali out there,"

said janus50.

- with AFP