Impact of Backpacker Tourists on the Social, Economic and Environmental Aspects in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

Abstract

This research bases on the lack of government attention and the lack of studies related to backpacker tourists in Bali. Their presence is not taken into account in the development of tourism in Bali. It is because there are still stereotypical thoughts about backpacker tourists, namely tourists whose purchasing power is deficient, not environmentally friendly, drunkenness, free sex, lack of respect for local culture, etc. Backpacker tourists classify as more individualistic tourists, non-institutionalized tourist groups, having specific travel patterns that are different from the travel patterns of mass tourists (institutionalized tourists). As with tourists who visit Bali, backpacker tourists also need services and services such as transportation, eating and drinking, accommodation, entertainment, and unique tourism attractions. Its existence also has an economic, socio-cultural, and environmental impact in the areas it visits. The limited research on the presence of backpacker tourists in Bali makes this research important. This study aims to examine the effects of backpacker tourists in the Ubud Tourism Area. Backpacker tourists in the Ubud tourism area impact the economy, socio-culture, and the environment. The economic sector's impact includes the growth and development of local culinary businesses, tourism businesses in the field of cheap accommodation, the development of natural tourism businesses such as rafting, tracking, and cycling, which provide opportunities for business and work to reduce the flow of urbanization. In the socio-cultural sector, the impact includes developing cultural preservation efforts through creativity in dance, painting, and sculpture for tourist consumption. The arrival of tourists in the Ubud tourism area also contributed to the worsening of congestion due to optimal parking lots' unavailability. Backpacker tourists who tend to stay at budget hotels are directly more environmentally friendly because they don't use hot water, bath up, and air conditioning than conventional tourists—the latter stay in star-rated hotels with all the luxury of their facilities.