Lessons from Bali: What the Bay Islands can learn

Bali has long been seen as a dream destination — lush jungles, beaches, and a culture that attracted millions. But today, headlines and travelers’ posts tell a different story. Visitors expecting pristine landscapes are instead finding crowds, traffic, overdevelopment, and waste management problems. Social media is filled with “expectations vs. reality” moments: tourists lined up at waterfalls for photos, garbage piled along the paths to beaches, and motorcycles spewing fumes just steps away from cafés serving “eco-friendly” smoothies.

Beyond the frustration of overcrowding, the consequences have been serious. Earlier this year, floods claimed more than a dozen lives on the island. Officials pointed to unchecked construction and poor waste management as factors that made the disaster worse. Only after tragedy did the local government announce restrictions on new development — measures that many argue came too late.

For those of us in the Bay Islands — Roatan, Utila, and Guanaja — Bali is more than a distant headline. It’s a warning. Our islands share many of the same qualities that made Bali famous: rich culture, fragile ecosystems, and an image of untouched paradise. But like Bali, we also face rapid tourism growth, rising construction, and challenges with waste and environmental protection.

The question is whether we will wait until damage is irreversible before taking action. Protecting our reefs, enforcing responsible development, and improving waste management are not optional if we want to keep the Bay Islands the paradise the world has fallen in love with. Bali shows what happens when growth outpaces care — and we cannot afford to repeat that story here.