> The write-ups of westerners working from Bali goes into a bit of this. Yes, it adds to the local economy. No, not always in constructive ways. Feeding young egos desire for european beer and fixing their skateboard falls costs time feeding local kids in schools and providing primary health care in a stretched local economy which is 10x lower down the scale.
Fake news. It pours foreign currency into a local economy that was already 80% based on tourism and which has a depreciating currency. Does selling tourists plastic trinkets and taking them on boat trips cost young local children plastic toys or prevent their fishermen dad from having his own longboat? Ofcourse not. Pre-COVID, money was being shoved as fast as it could possibly be shoved into a tiny island where people have tight-knit yet large family structures. All the locals on Bali are richer and better educated than they otherwise would be.
I think the worst thing about it may be that it's basically a classic case of the Resource Curse, except instead of oil they have beautiful beaches/etc.
Fake news. It pours foreign currency into a local economy that was already 80% based on tourism and which has a depreciating currency. Does selling tourists plastic trinkets and taking them on boat trips cost young local children plastic toys or prevent their fishermen dad from having his own longboat? Ofcourse not. Pre-COVID, money was being shoved as fast as it could possibly be shoved into a tiny island where people have tight-knit yet large family structures. All the locals on Bali are richer and better educated than they otherwise would be.
I think the worst thing about it may be that it's basically a classic case of the Resource Curse, except instead of oil they have beautiful beaches/etc.
Lastly, there isn't really a shortage of land. The island is 5,780 km². I've driven between all 4 coasts and 90% of the time you are seeing nothing but empty nature. https://mapfight.appspot.com/us.ct-vs-bali/connecticut-us-ba...