Tourist Favourite Cliffside In Nusa Penida Is Getting A Glass Elevator & Viewing Platform
But not everyone supports it.
By Sadho Ram — 18 Jun 2024, 05:06 PM
The Indonesian government has begun construction of a glass elevator and a viewing platform on the iconic viewpoint above the famous Kelingking 'T-Rex' beach on the island of Nusa Penida, Bali
Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno announced the project last year, saying that the presence of the glass lift on Kelingking beach will be a tourism innovation in Indonesia.
Planned to be built on an 182-metre-high cliff, the structure will be 64 metres long and seven metres wide. The clifftop directly faces the famous beach, which attracts thousands of tourists every month.
The elevator is set to replace an incredibly steep and dangerous walkway, which has seen countless injuries over the last few years. Last year, a tourist died after falling over the clifftop.
The news of the elevator, however, has not been well-received
Many have reacted with anger towards the project, saying the development won't be sustainable.
"Please stop destroying this paradise for no single reason," said one Instagram user.
"The lost paradise. Not coming back to Bali or Nusa Penida ever again. Used to love this place six to eight years ago. Heartbreaking to see it's being destroyed so badly," commented another.
One Instagram user called it "environmental vandalism", saying, "Well, you know that an elevator is going to lead to a beach bar and then a beach club and then a resort hotel. They call it 'progress' but really it's 'environmental vandalism'."
"Politicians are letting Indonesia down. Uncontrolled real estate and stupid ideas like this elevator for the sake of exploration of uncontrolled tourism are destroying this beautiful country," rued another.
"Locals should unite and demand a better approach from the government."
However, one user argued the elevator has become paramount due to how dangerous the spot is.
"I hate to see this thing destroy the beach but if you've been there and see how people went down and how it's done, it's an accident waiting to happen. It just takes one person who has the wrong shoes or weak knee or just the wrong step to get into a terrible accident. The other alternative is to close the path to go down. The authorities, unfortunately, won't be able to do that, so instead they have to do this," he stated.
