As far as island paradises go South East Asia feels like a number one destination – but it’s precisely this popularity with tourists that has led one sun-kissed location to rack up very bad reviews.
Located just off the north west coast of the larger island of Lombok, The Gili Islands in Indonesia are a beautiful little archipelago that became famous in the 1980s as a destination for backpackers.
Being close to the heavily-touristed island of Bali, the Gilis initially seemed like a secret getaway for visitors wanting a break from all the crowds.
But the once-tranquil beaches are now just as busy as Bali and some feel that paradise may have been lost when looking at the travel review site, Tripadvisor.
One recent scathing reviewer, writing under the heading “We will not come back”, said: “Filthy places, polution (sic) evident on the beach.
“You can see in the water, polution (sic) that looks like a white frothy spit, disqusting (sic). All sort of rubbish everywhere and rather unhappy people compared to Bali. We visited all three Gilis and stayed 3-4 nights in each one of them. Will not come back.”
Another person added: “Nothing near the ‘paradise’ these islands are advertised to be.
“The villages are slums and extremely sad and depressing to see how the locals live. Both my partner and I felt unsafe. The smell of garbage/ waste/ human waste is disgusting.”
Another traveller expressed dismay at the environmental impact of so many visitors to the region, writing: “It’s easy to imagine what this island once used to look like, and deeply saddening to see first hand the devastating effects of mass tourism on this fragile ecosystem.
“The beaches are now dirty and polluted, with dead corral everywhere making it impossible to walk without water shoes. The island itself is covered in rubbish, and the streets are smelly and dirty. The prices are also inflated compared to Lombok.”
Since 2009 it’s reported the number of visitors to the Gili Islands doubled year-on-year from around 30,000 in 2009 to more than a million today.
More than 2,000 visitors can travel on the small boats to reach each island every day, that’s 500 people more than the permanent population of the of the area.
Being part of a volcanic region, the islands and Lombok suffered a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in 2018 which killed at least 130 people and left hundreds more injured.
Thousands of buildings have collapsed, and at least 20,000 people were left homeless.
