Course Title
Bali, Indonesia: Charting a Path to Sustainability
Professor
Hanne Larsen
Clinical Professor
Date
December 2025
Destination Cities
Denpasar
Course Description
Tourism accounts for about 80% of the economy of Bali, Indonesia, which is renowned for its beautiful beaches and rich cultural traditions. In 2023, the island, which is only about a quarter of the size of New Hampshire, recorded over 15 million tourist visits. It also drew even more people to its shores with its new digital nomad visa. As this growth has occurred, Bali has experienced a water scarcity crisis that has threatened the lives and livelihoods of its more than four million residents. How can Bali chart a sustainable path forward? In this GIX, we will examine how government policies, practices in the tourism, agriculture, and textile-dying industries, and even religious traditions and norms about waste disposal are impacting water resources and discuss what it would take to steer the island onto a more sustainable path. If you are interested in a truly immersive experience, this GIX is for you. In addition to extensive reading, discussion, and reflection, we plan to work with a local NGO to clear trash from waterways, try our hands at textile dying, and engage in an ancient Balinese water purification ritual, Malukat. You will return with a sense of how the Balinese model works, the challenges it faces, and whether it will remain sustainable and relevant as the world ventures further into the 21st century.