Archive for May, 2007
Re-Survey of Major Suite Development in North Kuta Reportedly Reveals Irregularities and Violations of Local Zoning Rules.
A controversial suite development planned by PT Bali Unicorn (BUC), located on the seaside near Canggu at a local estuary, has caused vehement protests by local citizens who claim the developer violated property lines, zoning rules and desecrated a sacred area reserved for prayer and ceremonies. Large protests by thousands of local Balinese from surrounding villages eventually caused the Government to call a halt to ground work for the project and issue an order demanding the developer rebuild and restore the damaged shoreline and bottom lands of the delta.
The project, owned by the same parties who have developed the Discovery Mall Complex in South Kuta, saw contractors using heavy earth-moving equipment to reclaim land by filling in natural lagoons for the construction of suites and supporting structures. Fearing floods and the disturbance of areas held sacred by the Balinese, thousands descended on the project in April threatening sterner action if the project was not immediately halted.
Swayed by public protests, local government administrators eventually ordered the project to cease construction and instructed the developers to restore the lagoon to its original state.
Protestors were angered that local authorities had granted building and development permits in contravention of local building codes and in a religiously sensitive area. Local citizens are now demanding accountability from the officials who issued the original permits.
Local law requires all project developers to obtain formal approval from local village authorities before proceeding with building. Rules, according to local villagers, that were were ignored by PT BUC.
As part of the efforts to ease tensions, officials called a halt to all construction and ordered a new land survey be undertaken to determine the true extend on the land titles owned by PT BUC.
The Indonesian-language Bali Post reports that local officials tried to have the results of the re-survey discussed in close session, a move countered by local a parliamentarian who leaked the survey findings to the local press. The legislator and community activist, Wayan Sutena, said his move was necessary to ensure transparency was preserved in the review process.
In Over Their Heads?
Referring to the site plans resulting from the re-survey, Sutena was amazed to discover that almost half of the projects land was under water. Incredulous, Sutena was quoted by the Bali Post as asking if the plans of PT BUC were for a swimming complex or if the intention was to building a floating hotel.
Bali zoning laws require all development be set back a stipulated distance from the high-tide mark and river banks.
According to the Bali Post, the PT BUC project is comprised of two parcels of land. Parcel HGB 488 comprised of 8.120 square meters, which after survey was found to be 48% (4,400 square meters) below the water line. The remaining parcel, HGB 501 comprised of 37,000 square meters of land was discovered on re-survey to be 45% below the water line (16,470 square meters).
The legislator, who is also a lawyer, scolded the local government for illegally including public access waterways, bottomland and public shore areas in a private property title.
The re-survey of the project land, if verified, would render much of the 45,120 square meter site closed to any development by PT BUC.
A Complicated Road Ahead
If the latest re-survey results stand, the future of the PT BUC project will be put in jeopardy. Local residents from North Kuta are adamant in their desire to stop the estuary project while the only way to rescind the project permits already granted by the Government is via a lengthy legal process.
© Bali Discovery Tours.
May 31st, 2007
Former Bali Police Chief and “Time Man of the Year” Being Floated as Possible Gubernatorial Candidate for 2008 Elections.
The police general who heads the national Narcotics Squad the former Chief of Bali for Bali, Inspector General Made Mangku Pastika is mentioned as a possible candidate to become the next Governor of Bali.
The popular and forceful leader, named Asia’s Man of the Year by TIME magazine for his role in the apprehension of the Bali bombers, is reportedly being courted by the People’s Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI-P) to run for the top post in Bali.
A spokesman for the PDI-P in Bali confirmed to Tempo Interaktif that Pastika had recently requested and received a meeting with the party’s leadership in Bali.
While all parties, including Pastika himself, are remaining non-committal on the Policeman’s candidacy for the election in 2008, many in Bali believe Pastika’s age and approaching mandatory retirement from the police and the General’s proven ability to effectively communicate to an international audience make him an ideal candidate for Bali’s Governor.
Stay tuned!
© Bali Discovery Tours
May 31st, 2007
The number of foreign tourists in Indonesia rose 14.04 percent to 1 million in the first quarter of 2007 from 878,363 in the corresponding period last year, an Indonesian official said Monday.
Bali island remains the biggest tourist destination in the country, visited by nearly 42 percent of all foreign tourists in Indonesia, Minister for Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik said at a hearing with a House of Representatives commission in Jakarta.
“By average, every tourist spent 913.09 U.S. dollars per visit in 2006 against 904 dollars a year earlier,” he said.
Their average stay rose slightly to 9.09 days from 9.05 days.
“Repeaters account for 67.46 percent of total international arrivals while new visitors made up of 32.54 percent,” he said.
Source: Xinhua
May 31st, 2007
Former Tourism Minister Ardika Tells Local Hoteliers to Never Hesitate to Complain to the Government in Seeking to Improve Cleanliness on Public Beaches.
Indonesia’s former Minister of Culture and Tourism, I Gede Ardika, has labeled transportation as one of the most fundamental challenges facing Bali tourism in the future.
Speaking to the Indonesian-language Nusa Bali, Ardika described Bali’s current transportation system as “stagnant.” Ardika explained, “Bali must develop rapid mass transportation – such as electric trains, an expansion of the airport and the development of an international cruise port.”
Information Technology
In comments made at a meeting of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) on May 19, 2005, Ardika also said that Bali needs to develop information technology. “Bali must become an intelligent island with a super information backbone; an island which develops information technology,” said Ardika.
Citing the close linkage between knowledge-based tourism and quality tourism - Ardika emphasized the need to develop information technologies on Bali. At the same time, Ardika called on the tourism industry to sharpen its analytical skills and data collection capabilities.
Calls for More Attention to be Paid to Kuta Beach
Ardika told the hoteliers that current condition of Bali’s famous Kuta beach saddens him and asked local tourism practitioners to urge the Regent of Badung, Anak Agung Gde Agung, to pay more attention to Bali’s world famous shoreline. The former Minister asked where the public toilets built in earlier times to serve tourist had gone and bemoaned the accumulation of garbage along the shoreline.
Ardika urged Kuta beach to follow the example of Sanur beach where a mechanism for keeping the beach tidy is in place and public restrooms have been built.
A Call to be More Critical
Ardika told the PHRI members to never hesitate to be more critical of the government in matters relating to cleanliness, hygiene and health surrounding tourism objects. The former minister said hotel operators must have the courage to complain to the government in order to ensure toilet facilities are available and garbage collection system are in place to preserve the cleanliness and reputation of Bali’s beaches.
© Bali Discovery Tours.
May 30th, 2007
With bali’s defeat in the 14th century, invading Javanese set up court in Samprangan and then at Gelgel in the 1500s. An internal revolt during the mid 1600s moved the capital to Klungkung. Strife over the next 2 centuries caused factions to set up rival courts throughout Bali, yet all recognize Klungkung as the highest royal authority. In the early 1900s as rulers of south Bali were subdued by the Dutch. Klungkung remained the last strong hold until 1908; a towering new monument commemorates the final battle. Most of the palace was destroyed except for the main gate and 2 pavillions Kerta Gosa is famous for its painted ceiling of punishment in hell, animal tales, and an earthquake chart; and the Bale Kambang has paintings of Budhist lore, folktales, traditional astrology. Artists from Kamasan still paint in the puppet style; a school perpetuates this ancient art. A more craft turns to used artillery cases for metalwork.
Near the coast is the old capital of Gelgel with pura Dasar Bhuwana temple. The beaches at Jumpai are important for purification rites. Across the water is Nusa Penida, former island of exile for Klungkung’s criminals and home to the great fanged – demon and the Dalem Ped temple, both associated with black magic. The island and neighbour Lembongan and Ceningan have caves to explore and excellent snorkeling; seaweed is also farmed in shallow coastal beds. Klungkung’s market is great for textiles from the mountain villages and those further east. North of town is the peaceful Taman Sari temple, out west tiingan where musical instrument are made, and going east is a huge bridge spanning the wide Unda river. Colourful umbrellas made is Satria line the streets, and in nearby Paksabali village trance battles between deities occur. Off the main road, a huge sand and gravel quarry operates continuously with blazing furnace. Along the coast is the fishing and salt-making village of Kusamba, where thousands of bats a huge phyton live in the cave of Goa Lawah.
Bali Interest
May 29th, 2007
Will the ‘Magic Kingdom’ of Bali Soon Have Donald Duck Selling Tickets at the Gate?
A recent article in the Indonesian language Nusa Bali suggests that the increasingly large share of domestic travelers coming to Bali may play a determining role in the future face of the Island.
According to the article, domestic travelers, who now represent more than half of all visitors to Bali, are complaining that Bali’s tourist objects are becoming “monotonous.” The newspaper quoted a visitor from Surabaya, Suryo Pratomo, who was able to purchase a 3 night/4 day package at a local 5 star hotel for his family for only Rp. 5 million (approximately US$ 568). While Pratomo admitted Bali was still a popular location for a family get away, he reflected the opinion of many domestic tourists who eschew traditional Balinese culture in favor of more modern pursuits. “Bali needs family tourism objects such as ‘Dunia Fantasi’ (editor: a popular amusement park in Jakarta) or ‘Disneyland’.” he suggested.
Another domestic traveler, Franciskus Debora, stated that she did not consider Bali a family destination but more appropriate for honeymooners and romantic holidays. Debora suggested that Bali needs to develop a cheap and dependable transportation system to encourage more tourism.
Bali’s changing demographics for visitors with the growing preponderance of domestic and regional visitors is almost certain to change the character of the Island over time. Asian travelers, as a general rule, have less interest in dance and culture than European and American visitors. Their demand for more modern attractions may eventually bring an influx of more investment in amusement parks and similar non-Balinese amusements.
Bali Discovery Tours
May 28th, 2007
Despite Record Setting Foreign Tourist Arrival Numbers, Many Businesses Complain that Business is Bad.
While balidiscovery.com’s continuing series “Bali by the Numbers” suggest foreign tourist arrivals to Bali are hitting record highs [See: April Foreign Arrival Numbers Set New Records], we are often accused of “cooking the numbers” by local observers who have a difficult time reconciling buoyant arrival reports with quite shops, restaurants and hotels across the Island.
And, in fact, local press reports confirm that many handicraft shops and their supporting workshops are closing down in the face of a dramatic downturn in customers as compared with business in the recent past. A similar fate is also being experienced by restaurant owners and small hotels no longer able to generate the necessary cash flows to meet daily operating expenses.
Where are All the Tourists?
Recent surveys carried out by the Bureau of Statistics (BPS) and Bank Indonesia (BI) in Bali confirm that while the quantity of tourists visiting Bali is increasing dramatically, the overall quality of those tourists is on a sharp decline. Increasing competition among accommodation providers, which now include hundred of private villas and new resorts, has made the current lack of quality embodied in current arrival numbers even more apparent. The survey, conducted in January 2007, showed many starred hotels in Bali are running with occupancies at less than 50%, a fact underlining the dramatic over-supply of rooms facing the Island.
The BI and BPS surveys also showed that there have been fundamental changes in the complexion of inbound tourism to Bali. Much of the growth in arrival numbers can be credited to the advent of low-cost carriers serving short-haul markets in the Asia-Pacific region bringing visitors who spend less and stay for shorter duration than their long-haul counterparts from Europe and the Americas.
While the Bali-based survey suggested an average overall length-of-stay (LOS) of 9.87 days, this figure is down markedly from the 11.71 day LOS recorded just a few years ago. That the actual length of stay may be even lower is suggested by the overwhelming preponderance of Bali visitors who opt for a 7-day visa-on-arrival as opposed to the next alternative of a 30-day visa. This is consistent with other results from the survey which show that North Asian and East Asian visitors are staying on the Island for only 6.83 days while ASEAN visitors spend an even shorter period of 5.10 days in Bali.
Overall, 55.20% of all visitors to Bali stay for less than 7 days.
Spending Less
While regional airlines championing “Now Everyone Can Fly” have largely lived up to that promise, the amount of money left in Bali by regional travelers on perhaps their first trip abroad is much less than more seasoned travelers of yesteryear. One local hotelier said that requests for three or four people sharing a single room are increasingly common and these customers leave the hotel to purchase their meals from local street vendors or dine on food items purchased from local supermarkets.
Arguably, if there is a bright side to this situation it is the money reaped by street vendors lucky enough to snare a share of the “new travelers” and the local inns and home-stays attracting the conservative-spending regional tourists.
In the end, however, the overall net effect for both Bali’s larger businesses and small local traders experiencing larger arrival numbers comprised of visitors who stay briefly and spend sparsely means that business is down.
Bali Discovery - Indonesia
May 28th, 2007
Karangasem has a rich variety of older customs found in villages that resisted Javanese influences after the 14th century.
The royal family, related to Gelgel, became independent and in the early 1700s challenged Klungkung. Interl strife led to exile and formation of a rival house in Lombok, which return to defeat its own family on Bali and the taking of Buleleng.
This realm ended when the Dutch subdued Buleleng in the mid 1800s, and a Dutch-assisted rebellion in Lombok ousted the royal family in the late 1800s. By recognizing Dutch superiority, Karangasem remained intact when south Bali was conquered in the early 1900s.
After mount Agung erupted in 1963 the capital changed names to Amlapura. The Puri Agung Kanginan palace features a blend of Balinese, Dutch and Chinese architecture.To the south are the ruins of the Taman Ujung pleasure palace; a more intact one is up north at Tirtaganga with swimming pools fed by cool springs and an excellent place to stay.
Outside the town is the coastal tourist area of Candi Dasa, named after an old temple on the hillside; across the lagoon is a Gandhi meditation center. Snorkeling around a shipwreck is superb up north at Tulamben. Padangbai has the Silayukti sea-temple and the Ferry to Lombok. Tenganan is the only place in Indonesia where double-ikat gringsing cloth is woven.
Festivals here and in Dauh Tukad in June-July feature wooden ferris-wheels and ritual battles with thorny leaves. Nearby villages of Dauh Tukad, Bungaya, Asak, Timbrah, Perasi, Bugbug, Jasi, Ababi, Seraya, Sengkidu, Ngis, Bebandem and Padangkerta have colorful rituals with ceremonial dances for women and men. Trances battle, and spectacular offerings. Beautiful brocades are woven in Sidemen.
Winding mountain roads through salak snake skin fruit farm and terraced hills lead to Besakih, bali’s most important temple complex. Visitors may only see the huge temple from the outside, but the view is gorgeous and the air refreshing. Mount Agung should only be climbed by experienced hikers with a guide.
Bali Interest
May 25th, 2007
DENPASAR (Bali), SAT.: Bali Governor Dewa Beratha hosted a banquet last night in honour of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah, who are on a four-day state visit to Indonesia.
The banquest was held at the governor’s official residence, Jaya Sabha, a building with unique Bali architecture which was constructed in the 1870s.
Their majesties were entertained to a cultural performance by more than 100 dancers and a dance drama, Sekar Jaga, which is well-known on the island.
Dewa Beratha, in his speech, said Bali hoped to further enhance relations and cooperation with Malaysia in various fields like tourism, culture, trade and education for mutual benefit.
This popular resort island of 3.2 million people is also home to 150 Malaysian students furthering their studies in medicine, pharmacy and dentistry here.
Meanwhile, a specific and unique Balinese chess board is a special souvenir presented to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and his consort Raja Permaisuri Queen Nur Zahirah to commemorate their visit to Bali.
The royal couple were attracted to a medium-size chess board when they were visiting the Ida Bagus Marka gallery in Mas Ubud village, Gianyar, Indonesia’s Antara news agency reported Friday.
The 48-member royal party included Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Datok Zaenal Abidin Zain, embassy first secretary Mohd Pilus Ismail, official of the Malaysian royal household Tengku Farok Hussin, and honorary Malaysian consul in Bali Faisol H Hashim.
The royal couple has long been looking at the unique chess board and also looked at other handicraft articles. While they had the intention of buying the specific Balinese chess board, the host Ida Bagus Marka had already prepared it as a souvenir for the royal couple.
In their two-day visit to Bali within the framework of their four-day stay in Indonesia, King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and entourage also visited the Bali Convention Center (BBC), after which they returned to their hotel in Nusa Dua.
In the evening, they attended the dinner hosted by Governor Dewa Beratha and chairman of the Bali representatives council (DPRD) Ida Bagus Putu Wesnawa, in the company of their wives.
Mohd Nasir Yusof, BERNAMA - New Straits Times - Persekutuan,Malaysia
May 25th, 2007
About the Bali Arts Festival
The Bali Arts Festival is a full month of daily performances, handicraft exhibitions and other related cultural and commercial activities during which literally the whole of Bali comes to the city to present its offerings of dance, music and beauty. On display are trances from remote mountain slopes, forgotten or recently revived village dances, food and offering contests, classical palace dances, stars of Balinese stage, odd musical performances, “kreasi baru” (new creations) from the dance schools of Denpasar, as well as contemporary choreography and dance companies from other islands and from abroad.
It is a month long revelry that perhaps no other place in the world can put up on such a low budget as the Balinese. Not only is their traditional culture alive and well, but they have a tremendous pride in it.
It begins in the villages, where the seka or cultural groups are selected and organized at the regency level, vie with each other to perform the Arts Festival and thus display in front of a large audience the uniqueness of their village of birth and resting place of their ancestors.
The Bali Arts Festival is the Denpasar cultural event of the year, perhaps it would no be too far fetched to suggest that it is the cultural event of Indonesia. The festival is thus a unique opportunity to see local village culture both “live” and at first hand. Tourists are warmly welcomed.
The History of the Bali Arts Festival
When tourism took off after 1965, the Balinese insisted that it followed cultural guidelines: if tourism was to be accepted, it was to be a cultural tourism, or “pariwisata budaya”.
As the Balinese put it: “Tourism should be for Bali instead of Bali for tourism.” In time, this idea become national policy, as part of a larger revping of regional cultures for national purposes. The policy owes much to the former Director General of Culture (1968-1978) and Governor of Bali (1978-1988), Ida Bagus Mantra, an Indian-educed Balinese. It led, on the one side, to the creation of enclave resorts such as Nusa Dua to limit the direct impact of tourism, and on the other, to a long haul cultural policy aimed at nurturing and preserving the traditional agrarian culture while adapting it to the demands of modernity, and in particular of “cultural tourism”.
At the village level, local music groups, dances and other cultural events were inventoried, then supported by a series of contests at the district and regency level. The ensuing competition energized the cultural life of villages, whose “young blood” was already being drained to the city by the process of economic change and urbanization.
Schools of dance and art were created, in particular the Kokar conservatory and the STSI School of Dance and Music. Beside research, these schools replaced the traditional master/disciple relationship by modern methods of teaching; standardized the dance movements, produced new types of Balinese dances for tourism and modern village entertainment. Most important, it enabled former students to return to the villages as teachers, where they diffused, beside the creed of cultural resilience and renewal, new dances and standardized versions of old ones.
Many of the performances are held at the amphitheater which can hold up to 6,000 spectators, in a temple-like stage.
Each year, the Bali Arts Festival, beside the fed classical dances of the island, such as the legong, gambuh, kecak, barong, baris, mask dances and the like, is based on the theme around which new “dance choreography” is produced and old village dances and activities revived. Over the years, the whole range of classical Balinese stories - Ramayana, Mahabharata, Sutasoma, Panji - have thus been turned into “colossal” Sendratari Ballets.
The main challenge to the Arts Festival is obviously economic in nature. As village life is increasingly feeling the strains of monetary considerations, dancers, musicians and others cannot be expected to continue participating simply for the sake and the pleasure of it. As costs soar, new sources of financing have to be found. The obvious answer is the private sector and in particular the tourism industry. The greater task then is to convince the hotels, travel agencies and tourist guides to be more participatory in the Arts Festival rather than to their own sponsored events.
Considering the pride the Balinese have in their culture, and the adaptability and dynism they have always demonstrated, this little hurdle can be overcome. Trust the Balinese. They will eventually succeed to transform their tradition into a modern, Balinese culture of their own.
Bali Paradise Online - Information is supplied by Dinas Kebudayaan Bali
May 24th, 2007
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