JAKARTA - In the midst of increasing pressure on Bali tourism due to overtourism, land use conversion, to environmental carrying capacity issues, tourism industry players on the Island of the Gods are beginning to seek new approaches to maintain the sustainability of the destination.
One of them is through the development of sports tourism which is now seen not only as a sports trend, but also as an instrument for promoting the region and driving local economies.
The Indonesian Travel and Tourism Company Association (ASITA) Bali together with the Bali Tourism Board and the Bali Provincial Government will hold the Bali Tourism Run 2026 in the Jatiluwih Rice Terraces area on June 21, 2026.
The 5-kilometer running event is targeted to be attended by around 2,000 participants and will be the first part of the "100 Years of Bali Tourism" agenda in 2027.
The Chairman of ASITA Bali I Putu Winastra said the selection of Jatiluwih was not only because of its status as a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape, but also to strengthen the image of the destination in the midst of various challenges faced by the Bali tourism sector.
"Through this Bali Tourism Run, we want to show that Jatiluwih is a quality destination that is safe, comfortable, and worth visiting," said Winastra.
Unlike conventional mass running events, Bali Tourism Run is packaged as a community-based and local cultural tourism experience. The organizer wants participants not only to come to run, but also to stay in tourist villages, enjoy local cuisine, and interact directly with UMKM players around the Jatiluwih area.
The organizer even openly rejected the idea of increasing the capacity of participants to 10,000 people.
After conducting a study on the capacity of the area, the committee decided to limit the number of participants to a maximum of 2,000 people in order to maintain the balance of the environment in the terraced rice fields.
"If it is forced too much, it can actually backfire and damage the environment," said Winastra.
This step shows a change in approach in the Bali tourism industry which is now beginning to shift from a quantitative orientation to more measurable and sustainable tourism.
Chairman of the Bali Tourism Run 2026 Committee I Wayan Suberata said the momentum of the implementation in June was chosen because it coincided with the school holiday season, the commemoration of Bung Karno Month, and the series of Bali Arts Festival which took place in Bali.
"The first goal is of course we want to revive the arrival of domestic guests to Bali," said Suberata.
A day before the main event, the Jatiluwih area will also hold the Jatiluwih Festival, which is expected to encourage tourist visits and local economic circulation.
The committee targets around 70 percent of participants to come from the domestic market, while the rest are expected to come from foreign tourists and the international runner community in Bali.
Apart from tourism promotion, this event also carries a social mission. The committee said that some of the programs would be directed towards providing scholarships to disadvantaged children and home surgery assistance for residents in Bali.
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