Changing cultural developments along a tourist route in Bali

Abstract

One of the most important routes for cultural tourism in Bali connects the seaside tourist town of Sanur to the provincial capital city of Denpasar, continues through the Sukawati Art Market, skirts the village of Mas, site of many studios and workshops, and culminates in Ubud, the historic artistic center of Bali. The city of Ubud is the epicenter of a renowned tradition of painting but it is also a community staggering under the influx of tourists arriving via this route. The roadway from Sanur to Ubud illustrates a range of different types of arts-based heritage tourism, from mass produced art for beachside tourists in Sanur to several high-end galleries in Ubud. This trajectory of towns and their varied relationships with the arts and tourism illustrate the potentials and pitfalls of arts tourism as a means of development, and this roadway highlights the challenges of crafting sustainable routes for tourists interested in the arts.

Keywords

• Tourism
• Development
• Art
• Sustainability
• Indonesia