Reports that hundreds of hotels in Bali are being listed for sale on online platforms have sparked concern, and prompted a direct response from Bali Governor Wayan Koster, who insists the island’s tourism industry is far from struggling.
Koster has instructed the head of Bali’s Tourism Office to coordinate with Badung’s Tourism Office and the local Licensing Department to investigate the accuracy of these reports.
“I’ve tasked Bali’s Tourism Office chief to coordinate with Badung’s Tourism Office and the Licensing Department to gather data on the hotels reportedly being sold,” Koster said in Denpasar, as quoted by Antara news agency on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
Tourist Numbers Remain Steady, Governor Says
The Bali provincial government maintains that the island’s tourism sector is currently normal, stable, and growing, with no significant decline in sight.
Daily statistics show foreign tourist arrivals holding steady at 20,000 to 24,000 visitors per day, while domestic tourists number between 12,000 and 14,000 daily.
Given these consistent figures, Koster argues there’s no meaningful disruption in the local tourism scene, and certainly nothing that would explain a wave of hotels being sold off online.
So Why Are Hotels Being Sold? Internal Business Struggles, Not a Tourism Crash
Koster believes the hotel sales are tied to internal corporate dynamics rather than a downturn in Bali’s tourism industry. His theory: some business groups operate hotel networks across multiple regions outside Bali, and when those other branches run into financial trouble, profits generated in Bali often get funneled elsewhere to cover the losses.
“Tourism is actually up. This is clearly about their own business situation. We’ve seen this before, a company does well in Bali but struggles elsewhere, so the profits here get pulled out to prop up losses there. Eventually they can’t sustain it, so they close and sell the Bali property,” Koster explained.
Not an Oversupply Problem, Governor Clarifies
The provincial government also rejected the idea that the surge in hotel listings stems from an oversupply of rooms caused by excessive hotel construction.
According to Koster, overall hotel occupancy rates across Bali remain healthy, as long as hospitality businesses are managed properly and professionally. Star-rated hotels, he noted, are currently seeing occupancy rates between 80 and 90 percent.
The Numbers Behind the Viral Listings
The buzz around hotel sales in Bali isn’t unfounded. On property marketplaces like Lamudi, hundreds of hotels and villas across various price points and categories are listed for sale, some priced in the tens of billions of rupiah.
Similar listings have also flooded OLX, another popular online marketplace. The properties for sale span several regions across the island, including Badung, Tabanan, Gianyar, and Karangasem.
