Controversial Kelingking Glass Elevator in Bali to Be Demolished Amid Tourism Concerns

Published on November 25, 2025

The famous Kelingking Beach in Bali, which boasts beautiful viewpoints and has earned international recognition, is beginning to make changes to its business model. The glass elevator is Bali’s latest attraction, an idea that was previously begged for by locals, and for which many have called a “tourism advancement.” However, Bali’s Governor Wayan Koster is of the opposite opinion. Having seen the building’s extreme code violations, he has deemed the elevator to be a “controversial construction” and has unethical claims regarding the construction’s obstacles, mostly focused on climate change and its surrounding glass box.

First, Kelingking Beach is located on the southwestern coast of the island and has dramatically become one of Bali’s most popular-kept secrets. It is a miniature treasure for sightseers and lovers of nature, it is paradise. The glass elevator was supposed to capture the magnificence of the beach and the elevators of the Kellingking construction were designed to give a complete view of the plush coast. The purpose was to avoid the towering physical discomfort that many parents and elderly tourists suffer when trying to descend to the beach.

There are reports that billions of rupiah have been invested in the projects aimed at making Kelingking Beach more accessible to visitors. This is in line with Bali’s plan to develop innovative tourism and the glass elevator is hoped to be a novel and sculptural tourism attraction to the area.

However, the elevator has been the source of considerable controversy. Many people argue that, even if the elevator were to draw visitors to the beach, the project would bring serious and expensive environmental, design, and civil engineering problems.

The Demolition Order: Bali’s Governor Responds to Violations

Deficiencies in the construction of the Kelingking Glass Elevator have been documented on multiple occasions in the past month. This has attracted the attention of local staff and environmental organizations regarding the elevator’s expected impact on the already modified and built up natural Kelingking Beach. Built on the ocean side of a cliff that has a delicate power of even equilibrium, the construction has caused permanent changes to the location, mainly negative impacts that are already visible around the site.

Bali’s Governor, Wayan Koster, called for the demolition of the Kelingking Glass Elevator, as violations came to light. This decision comes on the heels of increasing pressure from stakeholders, such as environmentalists and members of the local community who raised concerns around the elevator’s effects on the cliffs and the environment.

This decision to demolish the elevator has also opened the door for more comments and suggestions from the public. Some of these comments expressed relief over what they believed to be the preservation of the natural beauty of the island, while others expressed their interest in the elevator as a developer’s goldmine. While mitigating concerns on the elevator and cliffs, the community has also been prompted to consider the overall environmental impact of developing attractions for a focus in tourism.

Impact on Kelingking Beach Tourism

Kelingking Beach has been a major destination to visit for every traveler going to Bali. Visitors have the ability to take a panoramic image atop a cliff as they overlook the beautiful beach. Every year, they attract thousands of tourists to visit the beach, which has also gained major popularity across the social media platform Instagram. The difficulty of the hike, as well as the steep descent to the beach, has added to the appeal for those who want to take on the challenges and adventure.

The Kelingking Glass Elevator was going to make it easier for visitors to reach the beach, as well as improve the experience, since there is a great view while riding the elevator. The elevator was also going to improve accessibility for those who may have a harder time making the trek down to the beach, as well as end up increasing the number of tourists visiting the area.

The Kelingking Glass Elevator made it possible for people to experience the beauty of the area while also obtaining the chance to see the beach up close. Now that the Kelingking Glass Elevator gone, it is likely there will be changes to the way Kelingking Beach is accessed by tourists. Those who wish to access the beach will likely still have the option to hike down, but there will be a limit to those who wish to make the trek down the steep hillside as they may have hoped to pay for the elevator access. It will be interesting to see the impact this will have on the surrounding tourism services offered.

Environmental Concerns and Kelingking Sustainability in Bali

Sustainable tourism development in Bali continues to be a controversial subject due to Kelingking’s glass elevator construction. Bali’s most impressive draw is its natural landscapes, and developing Kelingking necessitates both integrated and innovative solutions in preserving natural landscapes. For years Bali’s eco tourism problem has faced a myriad of critics, and rightly so; from unregulated eco tourism in Bali’s coral reefs to the construction of glass elevators and roads through the islands beaches and verdant forests, eco tourism and its development has had dire consequences to the islands ecology.

Bali’s eco tourism construction has profound and lasting impacts on the ecology of the islands most visited and nature-rich locations, and especially so in Kelingking Beach, a sanctuary and visiting haven in Bali’s untouched coastline.

Moving forward local authorities claim that there is a positive effort to bypass eco tourism construction that clashes with the islands natural eco systems which also keep the islands’ communities intact. The Kelingking glass elevator is a perfect case of eco-positive construction, in that, unregulated eco tourism construction has been halted due to the islands ecology, giving Bali a rare and fragile chance to fully develop integrated and innovative solutions to eco tourism construction and finally a chance to fully develop and sponsor integrated and innovative solutions in sustainable eco tourism and positive eco construction.

Looking Ahead: The Balance Between Tourism and Nature

While Bali’s Tourism continues to grow, the island needs to find a balance between infrastructure development and efforts to attract international tourism versus building nature reserve attractions to promote and protect its natural landscapes. Places like Kelingking Beach and other picturesque locations will always attract tourists. However, the build-out and development in the tourism sector must evolve to sustain tourism development in a positive and increasing respect for the environment.

While the demolition of the Kelingking Glass Elevator may seem like a setback to tourists in terms of development for the area’s tourism, it can serve a greater purpose. The island can focus on integrating more eco friendly tourism proposals in its planning. As Bali continues to protect their natural gems, tourism will evolve to provide travellers with unique experiences that promote sustainable travel.