Many years ago - before local tourists invaded - Pulau Banyak has become a "secret destination" for foreign tourists. At that time, each situation was very traditional. More people are gardening than fishing. The smell of moist coral, still smelled because there is no ban on coral mining. Turtle eggs are still easy to find and when it is also because there is no ban on hunting turtle eggs, with local law. Pulau Banyak has become a secret destination because of the naturalness of the land and the life of its traditional people.
Today, Pulau Banyak is threatened by the modernization and revitalization of tourist objects. Homestays is growing like a mushroom. Even the residents' houses were transformed into "mini home stay;" Boats are rent out to bring the tourist and and sometimes ignore the resident; youngsters prefer to be guides and set up stealth travels; various media playing on the beach such as "banana boat," began to be introduced.
Tour management is also quite apprehensive. Ships out of nowhere, could just get in and out of Pulau Banyak without control system, bring tourists without having to stop at “Pulau Balai. Post Control for visit also not provided. The passion to the tourist sticking out like a gas well, where instead of improving the economy, even the structure of people's lives becomes damaged.
It seems that Pulau Banyak imagined as Bali. Many of the outstanding discourses that in every island will be written billboard island name with flashing lights and damaging the beauty. There a rumor that, the airport will be built on the Tuanku mount, threatening the existence of the "beo nias" system which is there. In fact, near Pulau Banyak, in Singkel, there is already Syekh Hamzah Fansuri airport whose management is also apprehensive. And reportedly, on Pulau Banyak will be built magnificent resorts. There are many rumors that some Islanders have sold their land through "local brokers" to tour developers.
Though Pulau Banyak is Pulau Banyak. With the exoticism of the island and its sea; with its traditional and Islamic society, where every fisherman family is also a farming family. Where life in the sea, balanced with agricultural life.
Though Pulau Banyak is Pulau Banyak, the exposure of modernization without wise, will only damage its beauty and destroy its value. It is said, people are no longer free fishing as before, because there are areas that are forbidden to be approached. One resident said, "We are prohibited for fishing in the sea that was once preserved by our ancestors from the Dutch colonists.”
Fishermen also no longer freely mining corals traditionally to hoard the sea, in order to establish one or two traditional houses. The community is not allowed to take trees, to take turtle eggs and to take seaweed. which, since hundreds of years ago has become an economic activity and run traditionally with local residents. The government also seems bad at making regulations. There is no specific regulation for the preservation of local ecosystems even threatening local life. There are no cultural policies such as adat territory, local wisdom-based development, and so on. There is nothing to do to save the island. And then, there are no effort to preserve the social life of local communities.
Dahulu kala, sebelum turis lokal menyerbu, Pulau Banyak telah menjadi "secret destination" bagi turis asing. Ketika itu, keadaan masing sangat tradisional. Masyarakat lebih banyak yang berkebun daripada menjadi nelayan. Bau lembab karang, masih tercium karena belum ada larangan menambang karang. Telur penyu pun masih mudah dijumpai dan ketika itu juga karena belum ada larangan memburu telur penyu. Pulau Banyak menjadi destinasi rahasia tersendiri karena kealamian tanahnya dan kehidupan masyarakatnya yang tradisional.
Namun hari ini, Pulau Banyak seperti terancam oleh modernisasi dan revitalisasi objek-objek wisata. Penginapan tumbuh seperti jamur. Bahkan rumah-rumah warga disulap menjadi "mini home stay;" Kapal-kapal boat disewakan untuk membawa turis berplesiran; anak-anak muda lebih memilih menjadi guide dan mendirikan travel-travel siluman; berbagai media bermain di pantai seperti "banana boad," mulai diperkenalkan.
Manajemen wisata juga cukup memprihatinkan. Kapal entah dari mana, bisa saja keluar masuk Pulau Banyak, membawa turis tanpa harus mampir di Pulau Balai. Pos untuk kunjungan juga tidak disediakan. Gairah wisata mencuat bak semburan sumur gas, dimana alih-alih perekonomian membaik, malah struktur kehidupan masyarakat menjadi rusak.
Sepertinya, Pulau Banyak ingin di-Bali-kan. Banyak wacana yang beredar bahwa disetiap pulau akan ditulis billboard nama pulau dengan lampu kelip. Kabarnya, bandarapun akan dibangun di atas gunung tuangku, mengancam keberadaanekosistem "beo nias" yang ada disana. Padahal, dekat Pulau Banyak, di Singkel, sudah ada bandara Syekh Hamzah Fansuri yang pengelolaannya juga memprihatinkan. Dan kabarnya, juga, akan dibangun resort-resort megah di Pulau-pulau itu. Banyak isu yang berbedar bahwa sebagian masyarakat Pulau telah menjual tanahnya melalui "makelar lokal" kepada pengembang wisata.
Padahal Pulau Banyak adalah Pulau Banyak. Dengan keeksotisan pulau dan lautnya; dengan masyarakatnya yang tradisional dan islami, dimana setiap keluarga nelayan sekaligus juga merupakan keluarga petani. Dimana kehidupan di laut, diseimbangkan dengan kehidupan pertanian.
Padahal Pulau Banyak adalah Pulau Banyak, yang paparan modernisasi hanya akan merusak keindahannya dan menghancurkan nilai jualnya. Konon, masyarakat tidak lagi bebas memancing ikan seperti dahulu, karena ada wilayah yang terlarang untuk didekati. Seorang warga berkata, "Kami dilarang memancing di laut yang dahulu pernah dipertahankan oleh nenek moyang kami dari Belanda."
Nelayan juga tidak lagi bebas menambang karang secara tradisional untuk menimbun laut, demi mendirikan satu atau dua rumah. Masyarakat tidak bebas menebang pohon, mengambil telur penyu dan mengambil kayu laut. Padahal, hal yang sama telah dilakoni puluhan tahun yang lalu. Pemerintah sepertinya juga tidak pandai membuat regulasi. Tidak ada regulasi khusus untuk kelestarian ekosistem lokal namun tidak mengancam kehidupan lokal. Tidak ada kebijakan-kebijakan kultural seperti wilayah adat, pengembangan lingkungan berbasis kearifan lokal, dan lain sebagainya.