The establishment of these zones is part of an area project co-funded by the Tourism Ministry and the Denpasar administration. The project will address several critical problems identified by the local community. Among these problems is the unchecked development of budget hotels that the locals fear will damage the image of Sanur as a high-end destination and the uncontrolled rise of land prices. Udayana University tourism research consortium head said that each zone would have a different set of limitations and requirements that developers must abide by.
Based on the zoning provision designed by the research team, the first zone, stipulated as Beach View zone, is the area along Sanur’s shoreline. This zone is earmarked for resort facilities only. Requirements for such resorts are an allocation of 60 percent of the resort’s land for green areas, buildings no higher than three stories in height and a minimum room size of 30 square meters.
The other zones have similar green area and minimum room size requirements. In the second zone, called Beach Access zone, which covers the area along Jl. Danau Tamblingan, investors will be allowed to build not only resorts but also hotels and restaurants with a maximum height of four stories. In the last zone, the Bypass Ngurah Rai zone, which covers the area along the road with the same name, developers could construct buildings up to five stories high.
Sanur is Denpasar’s biggest tourism asset. Around 91 percent of the total 44 star-rated hotels in Denpasar area are found in Sanur. Forty percent of the total 277 non-starred hotels in Denpasar are also located in Sanur.
Sanur has been designated as a Strategic National Tourism Area (KSPN). In 2012, the central government officially established 88 KSPN across the country. In Bali, Sanur was placed under one KSPN with Kuta and Nusa Dua. This KSPN is expected to be a model for others for the implementation of a destination improvement project co-funded by the central government and local administration. Early next year, the government will start an project aimed at increasing the appeal of Sanur as a tourist destination. The central government will provide Rp 5 billion, while the city administration has earmarked Rp 10 billion from its annual budget to finance these projects.