Indonesia Promotes 10 New Balis to Spanish Investors

Saturday, 12 September 2026

Bali may be Indonesia’s most famous holiday destination, but the country has always had many other places with huge tourism potential.  Indonesia introduced the idea of the “10 New Balis” as part of an effort to attract tourists and investors to destinations outside Bali.

The idea was also promoted to Spanish investors. Nurul Ichwan, who headed Indonesia’s investment promotion efforts in London, attended a business forum in Zaragoza, Spain. The event was aimed at increasing trade between ASEAN and Spain while also attracting Spanish investors to the region.

During the event, Indonesia presented its tourism investment opportunities, including the government’s 10 priority destinations, which were popularly called the “New Balis.”

So, what were these destinations?

The list included Lake Toba, Belitung, Tanjung Lesung, the Thousand Islands, Borobudur, Mount Bromo, Mandalika, Komodo Island, Wakatobi National Park, and Morotai. Each destination offered a different tourism experience, from beaches and islands to volcanoes, cultural attractions, and nature-based tourism.

For Spanish investors, this could mean opportunities beyond the traditional Bali tourism market. Instead of putting investment only into an already established destination, investors could explore areas that were being developed as new tourism centers.

Mandalika, for example, is located in Lombok and offers beaches, nature, and a growing tourism infrastructure. Lake Toba offers a completely different experience with its huge volcanic lake and Samosir Island. Meanwhile, Borobudur has strong cultural and historical appeal.

At the time, Spain was already investing in Indonesia, although the total investment was still relatively modest compared with some other foreign investors. According to the report, Spanish investment from 2010 to 2026 reached around US$168 million across 237 projects, putting Spain in 27th place among foreign investors.

Indonesia therefore saw tourism as one area where cooperation with Spanish businesses could become stronger. The government wanted to attract more international capital while developing destinations outside Bali.

The “10 New Balis” concept was not simply about creating ten destinations that looked like Bali. Instead, the goal was to make Indonesia’s tourism industry more spread out. Different destinations could offer different experiences and attract different types of travelers.

For Spanish investors, this opened the door to opportunities in hotels, restaurants, resorts, transportation, tourism services, and other supporting businesses.

Although the original promotion took place several years ago, the idea remains interesting when looking at Indonesia’s long-term tourism development. Bali continues to be a major tourism destination, but places such as Mandalika, Lake Toba, and Labuan Bajo have also received increasing attention.

For investors looking at Indonesia, the message was simple: there is more to the country than Bali. The “10 New Balis” were introduced as a way to show the world that Indonesia has many tourism destinations waiting to be developed.