The growth of tourism in Bali has brought a variety of positive results for the island, creating jobs for the local community and generating revenue for the development of public facilities. At the same time, however, the virtually unrestricted growth of tourism has put additional pressures on the island’s precious ecosystem and the local community’s spiritual sentiments. The ongoing Benoa Bay reclamation project is just one example of how tourism can cause problems for the local community. Given the problem, this article is a modest academic attempt to deconstruct and analyze the debates around the Benoa Bay reclamation project. Crosschecking the initial research findings with secondary research, this article argues ultimately that the local community rejects the reclamation project because it jeopardizes the bay’s ecosystem, encroaches on the religious sentiments of the people, and diminishes any decision-making power of the local people.