“The rice fields, the narrow roads, very few vehicles on the roads, we went everywhere by bemo (minibus) or rode a bike,” she recounted to SBS Indonesian.

“The horrific difference is the volume of traffic and the over-development of the hotels and other infrastructure specifically for tourists which has taken away the rice fields of Bali which were magic to me,” she said.

Toni Pollard in her son’s garden in Ubud, Bali, in 2017. Credit: Toni Pollard

Bali was recently included in Fodor’s of places to avoid or reconsider, alongside the likes of Venice, Barcelona and Koh Samui.

Rubbish strewn on Bali Island’s Kuta Beach, December 2024. Source: EPA / MADE NAGI/EPA/AAP Photos

The impact of overtourism on the environment is just one of the negative impacts Bali locals have increasingly endured in recent years, according to Nengah Subadra, doctor of tourism and associate professor at Bali’s Triatma Mulya University.

Djelantik has highlighted the issue of foreigners who are not only disrespectful to Balinese culture and traditions but also might have questionable documentation concerning their stays and work rights in Indonesia.

This followed a case where a foreigner allegedly did not pay for their Ubud accommodation, causing more than 5 million rupiah ($500) in losses.

When did things change?

According to the Bali Province Central Statistics Agency, the number of foreigner visits via airport and port in Bali throughout 2024 was over 6.3 million, with Australia the biggest country of origin with more than 1.5 million visitors.

Newly elected Bali governor, I Wayan Koster, says he wants to clamp down on tourists misbehaving on motorbikes, not wearing helmets, and wearing inappropriate clothes. Credit: Agung Parameswara/Getty Images

Perth-based Bianca* has visited Bali seven times with the last occasion being in December 2024 with her husband and their three children for a two-and-a-half-week stay.

“The problems of traffic jams, rubbish and clean water are urgent matters that must be resolved immediately,” added Koster, who in 2023 proposed to revoke the Visa on Arrival for Russian and Ukrainian nationals.

However, he said that his government had considered opening a consulate in Denpasar, the capital of Bali province, in an effort to resolve conflicts of its citizens visiting Bali.

Would you still visit Bali?

“If you’re going to be travelling anywhere in the world, I’d definitely still recommend Bali for someone who wanted to visit it and has never been.”

Bali’s rice fields are worth seeking out. Credit: Pexels

Meanwhile for Pollard, who has booked her 81st trip to the island for May this year, it was still worth trying to experience “the old Bali”.

*surname withheld for privacy reasons