Fairly soon after the Netherlands had brutally colonised all of Bali in 1908, tourist advertisements for the island began to appear. Bali the ‘fairytale island’ was an image that suited the government internationally much better than the image of Bali as a battle ground where the Dutch had acted ruthlessly. Although brochures and tourist guides to Bali had appeared as early as the 1910s, the island still lacked a high-quality tourism infrastructure. Not a single hotel was to be found in the island until 1928, and travellers who could not turn to friends or acquaintances were reliant on the government’s guesthouses.
Postcard of a ‘Balinese nobleman’. Publication of The Travellers Official Information Bureau of N.I. Batavia. Around 1935. [KITLV 1400138]
Travellers Official Information Bureau of the Netherlands Indies (Vereeniging voor Toeristenverkeer in Nederlandsch-Indië), Bali. The Wonderland. [Batavia]: G. Kolff & Co. s.d. [KITLV 1400138]