Travel trends come and go in Bali, and it can be hard to keep up with where is hot and where is not at any given moment.
Some of Bali’s most underrated and overlooked beach resorts are having a low-key renaissance right now, and tourists seeking crowd-free and off-path beach hangouts should listen up.
Pantai Jerman, or German Beach, is one of Bali’s original beach resorts. First came Sanur way back in the 1960s, before tourists started exploring the Kuta coastline, which includes Pantai Jerman.
This quiet stretch of beach is located just minutes from the airport and offers tourists a classic beach retreat, free from the loud beach clubs of Canggu and the traffic jams of Uluwatu.
It is not only the quiet stretches of sand that are drawing tourists back to Pantai Jerman, but also the magnificent Triratna Amerta Bhuwana Statue.
The beach is vast in length, and the shoreline is always calm and gentle. At the end of the high season, the beach is welcoming between 500 and 1,000 visitors daily, with that number reaching 2,000 on weekends.
With plenty of space to spare, the slowly increasing number of visitors on the beach creates a vibey atmosphere, rather than a bustling, crowded feel.
Ketut Werka, the Head of Kuta Traditional Village, told reporters, “The number of visitors to Jerman Beach is extraordinary now, there are so many. The statue at Jerman Beach has boosted visits.”
He noted that the majority of tourists visiting are still local, accounting for around 80% while foreign tourists only make up around 20%.
It is the perfect place for tourists who want to connect with local people and make new friends while traveling. Werka said that frequent international visitors include those from Russia, Australia, and China. In terms of Indonesian visitors, there is a mix of local Balinese beachgoers and domestic tourists visiting from around the country.
Werka shared, “People from outside Bali usually come in groups by bus. During school holidays, the number of visitors increases.” He confirmed that there are plans in place to help improve the experience of Pantai Jerman for tourists in the future.
Werka explained, “We’ve coordinated with the local government regarding design changes at German Beach. Our first plan is to create a multi-story parking lot for cars. However, I don’t know how it will be implemented yet.”
Pantai Jerman management, along with the Badung Regency Government, is currently working on development plans for the area. One plan is to build a multi-story parking lot on land to the east of the jogging track. There are already 26 art and souvenir shops along the Pantai Jerman beachfront, where tourists can support local artisans and entrepreneurs and take home some authentic souvenirs too.
It is not only Pantai Jerman that is seeing a resurgence right now, but Lovina Beach too. Lovina Beach, located at the very north of Bali, sees ebbs and flows of interest from international tourists. The beach is undergoing a restructuring of management that leaders hope will encourage more tourists to explore the area.
The Buleleng Regency Government has confirmed that it will undertake a large-scale reorganization of the Lovina tourist area in 2026. The whole beach area will get a ‘facelift’ and will be redesigned into three distinct areas. The West Zone, Tasik Madu Beach, will be developed as a cultural area. The mid-section of the beach will be dedicated to marine tourism activities, such as sunrise dolphin tours. The East Zone will be assigned to business development, including a culinary zone.
This is part of a larger initiative by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and the Bali Tourism Office to launch the 3Bs Tour formally. The multi-stop itinerary will connect North Bali, West Bali, and Banyuwangi in East Java. To launch the tour, however, a new pier must be built in North Bali.
The impact for tourists is enormous, since a new pier in North Bali not only creates opportunities to connect more easily with East Java, but also with East Nusa Tenggara.
The Regent of Buleleng told reporters this week, “If the pier is finished, Lovina can be connected directly to Gili Trawangan. Tourism potential will be more widely opened.”
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