Australian tourists are being accused of worsening overcrowding in Bali by repeatedly returning to the same well-trodden hotspots rather than exploring the rest of Indonesia. Travel content creator Lauren Larsen, who has visited Bali twice, said the island had become "so overrated" and questioned why Australians keep revisiting it instead of trying nearby alternatives such as Nusa Lembongan and the Gili Islands, which are just a short ferry ride away. She suggested many holidaymakers are put off by longer flights to destinations such as the Philippines or Thailand, opting instead for the convenience of a familiar trip.

More than 1.6 million Australians visited Bali in 2025, with most concentrated in areas like Canggu, Seminyak and Uluwatu, fuelling complaints about overcrowding, pollution, traffic and rising prices. A Yahoo Lifestyle poll of nearly 4,000 readers found 45 per cent felt the island had become "dirty and overrun" and 37 per cent believed tourists had "ruined" it, with only 14 per cent still viewing it as "cheap and beautiful". Travel agency manager Alex Stragalinos backed calls to look beyond the main tourist strips, describing a recent trip near Mount Batur, two hours from Canggu, as reminiscent of "what Ubud would've been like 20 years ago".