On August 14, 2015, back when the American presidency was just a twinkle in his beady eye, then candidate Donald Trump put his name to an agreement of a different order to that he has become accustomed to signing in the White House – the development of Trump International Hotel and Tower Bali, in collaboration with Indonesian investor Hary Tanoesoedibjo’s MNC Group.
Like many projects bearing the Trump name, the resort, billed to become the largest on the island and the Trump Hotel Collection’s first property in Asia, has met with resistance.
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The “six-star” resort and 18-hole golf course will occupy a cliff-top site previously home to the Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali, which boasts sweeping views across the Indian Ocean and one of Bali’s most important temples, Tanah Lot. The original plot’s 103 hectares did not suffice, so MNC approached local landowners with the intention of expanding the development. A documentary produced by the Australian Broadcasting Company, which aired in July 2017, claimed that most were reluctant to sell their land; some emphatically refused to do so.
Still, that seemed of little import, MNC insisting in a statement, “Our land acquisition process has not encountered any problems or issues beyond the regular negotiations when dealing with land owners in Bali.” Judging by the group’s website, which describes a 108-hectare development (an increase of just five hectares), it would appear that those “regular negotiations” proved far from fruitful.
However, that wasn’t the only hurdle. There are also concerns that the resort will overshadow nearby Tanah Lot, both literally and figuratively. Balinese custom dictates that no building should exceed the height of the tallest coconut tree for fear of angering the gods, and while there is no evidence to suggest that Trump International Hotel and Tower Bali will surpass such a height, its name and association with a US president known for ostentation rather than restraint suggest otherwise.
And then there is the environmental impact of a major building project on an island that already struggles to balance tourism with sustainability. In a November 2 article, German news outlet Deutsche Welle argued that Bali’s rice terraces and subak irrigation system, which dates back to the 9th century, were under threat because of the demands of the tourism industry. It cited a 2012 study published in the Annals of Tourism Research, which found that more than half of the island’s groundwater supply was used by tourism, leading to water inequality and social and environmental problems that would affect Bali’s tourism and economy.
Persian
