Balinese identity as tourist attraction: From ‘Cultural Tourism' (Pariwisata Budaya) to ‘Bali Erect' (Ajeg Bali)

International audienceIn this paper, I describe how I became interested in tourism and how I went about studying it, before expounding where the study of tourism in Bali led me. Tourism neither “polluted” Balinese culture (as some of its critics would have it) nor entailed its “renaissance” (as the proponents of “Cultural Tourism” are prone to claim). What happened is that the focus on “cultural” tourism convinced the Balinese people that they have a “culture”, something precious and perishable which they perceive as a capital to be exploited and as a heritage to be protected. As it was being manipulated and appropriated by the tourism industry, their culture became not only a source of profit and pride, but also a cause of anxiety for the Balinese, who started wondering whether they were still authentically Balinese. Thus it is that tourism provoked an overriding concern about identity amongst the Balinese – about what they call their “Balineseness”