Archive for May, 2007
Denpasar, Bali - Japanese still dominated the foreign tourist flow to Bali in the first three months of this year, a local tourism official said.
“Some 24 percent of a total of 346,942 foreign tourists who came to Bali in January-March this year were from Japan,” head of the promotion section of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurants Association (PHRI) I B Ngurah Kumbayana said on Saturday.
He said Australians who accounted for 10.3 percent of the foreign tourist flow were second on the list followed by Taiwanese (9.3 percent).
Bali is home to the Bali tiger which is almost extinct; Bali cattle, graceful animals not like other cows; bats living in caves like the Bat Cave near Kusamba; sea turtles of Nusa Dua; the Jalak Bali or Bali Sterling (Leucopsar rothschildi) which has inspired countless painters and artists.
ANTARA News
May 23rd, 2007
DENPASAR (Bali), — 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 banquet 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.
– BERNAMA
May 22nd, 2007
More than 3,500 Hash House Harriers Converge on Bali for Pan Indo Hash 2007
Over 3,500 madcap runners from across Indonesia and the region gathered in Bali May 18-19, 2007, to participate in Pan Indo Hash 2007.
What is the Hash?
Founded in the 1930’s in Singapore, the Hash House Harriers is an international association of cross country runners now boasting more than 300,000 members in over 1,000 clubs worldwide. Each of the clubs meets once a week at a different locality near their homes to undertake scenic runs followed by convivial sessions of earnest beer drinking.
The Bali Hash House Harriers (Bali HHH ) was founded on May 16, 1977 by an English eccentric, Victor Mason who, 30 years later, still lives in Bali and is a regular participant in the Bali runs.
Pan Indo Hash
The popularity of hashing in Indonesia was aptly demonstrated by the very strong turnout for the Bali event, a “dry run” for a Bali bid to host for a 2010 Interhash event that draws runners from around the world.
Did we say “dry run”?
Anyone acquainted with Hash House traditions knows a run is anything but “dry”. Each of the many runs organized along river valleys and Bali’s picturesque rice fields is followed by gatherings at the finish line where copious quantities of Bir Bintang are consumed in practice sessions for further imbibing at the evenings social gatherings that follow.
The Pan Indo Hash 2007 event was formally opened by Bali’s Governor and the Mayor of Denpasar.
An International Event
Among the 3,500 runners coming to Bali were 89 hash clubs from Indonesia, 9 from Malaysia and hundreds of Hashers from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Holland, the U.S.A., United Kingdom and Kenya.
The Bali event was headquartered at the Inna Grand Bali Beach Hotel in Sanur where a final nights social gathering was held on Saturday, May 19, 2007.
The Bali event was a warm up for the Pan Asia Hash scheduled for Medan, North Sumatra on August 3-4, 2007 where an expected 4,000 runners are expected.
Over 4,000 runners are expected in Perth, Australia in March 2008 where they will attend the World Interhash. In Perth, Bali will once again renew its bid to host the succeeding World Interhash 2010 where an estimated 10,000 Hashers from around the world are expected to attend.
The latest Bali Hash event was clearly a “run away” success with Bir Bintang managing - just barely to provide sufficient brew to keep the thousands of runners well fueled.
Bali Discovery Tours
May 21st, 2007
Museum Gunung Api Batur Opens in Bangli, East Bali.
In early May 2007, Bali inaugurated its first Volcano Museum in Bangli. Opened as part of the 803rd anniversary of seat of the Bangli Regency, the Museum Gunung Api Batur was officially opened its Regent I Nengah Arnawa.
The Museum is located in Bangli, not far from Batur – one Bali’s active volcanic mountains. Intended to educate the public on both the dangers of volcanoes as well as the positive contribution they make to mankind, the Museum features interactive exhibits for children and computer animations.
Of the 129 volcanoes found in Indonesia, 80 are considered active with the potential of exploding any time in the near future. Of the 80 active volcanoes, 64 are considered sufficiently dangerous to surrounding population and are under continuous monitoring by the Indonesian Department of Meteorology and Geophysics (BMG).
Bali Discovery Tours
May 21st, 2007
Feature films need far more than a good script coupled with some high-profile actors to make a profit. As the saying goes, “location, location, location” is often as much the star of the film as the actors: Selling those locations to the film industry is as competitive as any Hollywood audition.
But talent will out and the spotlight is now shining on Indonesia, due largely to a proactive stance taken by the Culture and Tourism Ministry and the Bali Film Centre (BFC), which attended in mid-April the Association of Film Commissioners International Film Locations Trade Show in Santa Monica, California, with outstanding results.
Indonesia even made the cover of Locations Magazine 2007, the filmmaker’s bible of international film locations.
At Santa Monica, the BFC presented Indonesian film locations and the low-production costs of doing business here — as it had also done in March at the Hong Kong International Film Festival and its Filmart’s Locations World Expo.
And presentation pays off. Film industry heavyweight RGM Associates aims to produce 10 feature films in Asia in the coming years, and Indonesia is well placed to be the “the next runaway film destination (location)”.
According to BFC director Deborah Gabinetti, a former New York casting agent and international film locations promoter, RGM had a US$100 million proposal on the table for an epic film using an Indonesian backdrop.
Warner Bros. Locations Executive Bill Bowling met with Bakri M.M. of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Hong Kong, a meeting that has resulted in “positive results with ideas for future film projects”, according to Gabinetti.
The high level of interest in Indonesia as a prime film location was echoed throughout the Santa Monica Film Locations Trade Show and Locations World Expo, said Gabinetti, with over 50 expressions of interest for Indonesian film locations and six film proposals already under discussion.
And with 18,000-plus islands spanning more than 5,000 kilometers, crossing two hemispheres and possessing a geographical diversity that takes in the monumental architecture of Borobudur and Prambanan, rainforests, mountains, deserts, glaciers, dense cityscapes and seas, Indonesia is representative of almost every environment in the world. It presents the perfect backdrop for just about any film production.
But it is not just the physical environment that makes Indonesia such an attractive package for international location scouts, stressed Gabinetti.
“We do have the most diverse locations in the world. But we also have the human resources to back that up. We have the master craftsmen to build backdrops, the additional cameramen often needed on feature films, the catering, costumes. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes and production houses utilize those human resources,” she said.
For example, she cited the 40 local crew members and more than 100 extras who were employed by director Marc Esposito during the making of Toute la Beaute du Monde in Bali and Lombok as just the tip of the iceberg with regard to the dollars generated for Indonesia via international film productions here.
Add to this the international advertising the archipelago gains through film production and the offshoot of greater tourist numbers, and the country’s cash register starts to ring.
The verified 50 percent increase in Korean tourism to Indonesia following the release of a Korean television program set on Bali, and the anecdotal leap in French visitors to Lombok and Bali following the French release of Toute la Beaute du Monde, highlight the value of international film productions to the nation’s tourism said Gabinetti.
“A film has a seven-year life span from the original theater release to DVD, syndication and cable,” she said. “Compare that coverage of a location like Bali to the average tourism advertisement that runs between 15 and 30 seconds at exorbitant cost. Film leaves an impression, an experience. Like Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and New Zealand, you want to see that place.”
She points out that during the production of Lord of the Rings, 125,000 New Zealanders were employed, making the project that nation’s largest single employer, with a matching crossover spike in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Ongoing rewards are still being reaped through New Zealand’s growing tourism on the back of the film, a direct result of the blockbuster trilogy.
“A similar scenario can be seen in what the film Out of Africa did for Kenya,” Gabinetti added.
But as mentioned earlier, it takes more than Indonesia’s pretty face in the locations industry to go up against countries that have already seen the dollar value in location promotion.
Gabinetti said incentives to bring international film production houses to Indonesia were vital if the country is to take advantage of the strong interest already being shown by world players such as RGM Associates and Warner Bros.
“We need to be able to offer incentives that compare with our competing location countries to ensure the Indonesian locations get up,” she stressed. “At present, other countries will win if they have similar locations because here there is, at present, no real incentives — and we are trying to address that so Indonesia can compete in this market with its neighboring countries.”
With government-sponsored incentives, Gabinetti continued, there is real opportunity for Indonesia to become a major film locations center; when the human and location resources of the nation are considered alongside such incentives, Indonesia is a winner, hands-down.
“While we do not yet have an incentives system in place, what we do have is the ability to undercut most other countries in production costs by at least 10 percent. When you are talking of $100 million-dollar film projects, that adds up to a substantial figure.
“Because of those low production costs created by reasonable non-union labor, master craftsmen who can create sets, plenty of film extras and more than 360 ethnic groups, we have not only the landscapes, but also the ‘humanscape’,” said Gabinetti.
She added that the Indonesian government was supportive of international film production and was displaying a rapidly growing understanding of the international film and television industries’ potential value to the nation.
Films currently slated for or undergoing production in Indonesia are director Angus Strachan’s Between Two Worlds; Malaysian film company G.S. Production’s interpretation of Gill Marais’ book, Bali Sacred and Secret; Bristol Films’ Women of the Tribe being filmed on Mentawai Island; a BBC 1 documentary on orangutan release in Kalimantan, with several more in an advanced stage of discussions.
May 18th, 2007
Indonesia is betting Rp 300 billion (US$32.97 million) that hosting the inaugural Asian Beach Games in Bali next year will provide a much needed tourism boost for the resort island.
National Sports Council (KONI) chairwoman Rita Subowo said here Friday the Rp 300 billion budget for the event would come from the central government, Bali administration and the private sector. The money will be used to build the necessary infrastructure and purchase equipment for the event.
The Oct. 18-26, 2008, beach games will feature 14 sports. About 5,000 athletes from 45 countries are expected to compete for the 200 medals on offer.
Among the featured sports will be beach volleyball, beach sepak takraw, paragliding, jet ski and body building. Events will be held in Sanur, Serangan, Kuta, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua.
Rita said Bali was appointed to host the event during an Olympics Council of Asia meeting, which cited Bali’s huge popularity as a tourist destination. The next hosts will be Oman, China and the Philippines.
“It is an honor for Indonesia to host such a historical event. Bali is the perfect place for the games,” she said, adding that the province has hosted numerous international sporting events.
The Bali administration has high hopes the event will help increase the number of foreign tourists coming to the island, which was hit by terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2005.
Organizers have begun to promote the event through the “Look for the Beach Games” campaign.
Despite the preparations, Rita remains modest about Indonesia’s medal target at the event.
“I just hope that by being the host, the athletes will be motivated to give their best shot and achieve something next year.”
Wasti Atmodjo, The Jakarta Post, Sanur, Bali
May 18th, 2007
Bohemians, artists, actors and filmmakers have been making their way to Bali’s limpid seas and sands for almost 100 years, seduced by the island, its people and their way of life; the sway of coconut trees echoing the sway of women’s sarongs, heads piled high with offerings to Hindu Gods; or young men with their dancers’ bodies scampering up those same swaying trees to gather the yellow fruit with its cooling liquid and sweet white meat.
That was the new world discovered by artist Walter Spies and his film director partner, F.W. Murnau of the 1924 classic Nosferatu.
They would soon be joined by Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton, English playwright Noel Coward, silver screen comic genius Charlie Chaplin — once quoted s quipping “if it comes to the worst we’ll go to Bali” — to be followed in later years by those kings of the road films, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, and their queen, the voluptuous Dorothy Lamore.
Not much has changed over the past decades, except celebrities now wing their way first class to Bali, rather than steaming their way to the “Island of the Gods” on ships complete with ballrooms as their predecessors did.
Today it is actress Sigourney Weaver of the recently released Infamous, Aliens and Gorillas in the Mist fame, the hound dog-faced comedian Bill Murray of countless films including Lost in Translation who, among others, head to Bali for a bit tropical R and R.
One anecdote says that Murray literally found himself lost in translation after hiring a motorcycle and heading for Bali’s central mountains — to become utterly lost in a village rich in high Balinese, but short on English.
And it is this new breed of Bali-loving celebrities who may act as the centerpiece of the inaugural Bali Taksu Film Festival and Awards to be held later this year, under the auspices of the Bali Film Centre (BFC) and Bali-based publisher Saritaksu Editions.
According to BFC director Deborah Gabinetti, the first Bali Taksu Film Festival and Awards is slated for Oct. 25-28 with dozens of high-profile actors, directors and producers of blockbuster films and documentaries on the guest list.
“What we want to do is invite people who have long supported the country through thick and thin, such as Sigourney Weaver, Richard Curtis, Ed Norton Jr., Oscar-winning screenwriter of Dangerous Liaisons Christopher Hampton, Susan Sarandon, Richard Gere, award-winning film-score composer Richard Horowitz, Bill Murray and actor-director Robert Redford, who occasionally travels to Bali to paint,” said Gabinetti.
“Through the film festival we want to recognize them for their continued support and also introduce the many film locations of Indonesia. It’s a working and awards festival,” she said.
Gabinetti has recently traveled to film location trade shows in Hong Kong and Santa Monica, California, wearing her BFC hat and promoting Indonesia to the international filmmaking fraternity as a country of prime film locations.
Setting itself apart from other festivals around the world, Saritaksu Editions’ Sarita Newson says the Bali Taksu Film Festival will select the winning films from festivals such as Sundance, Cannes, Tribeca, Hong Kong, Busan and Venice for screening.
“This will not be a film judging festival, but rather taking the best of the year’s films from around the world. That concept has not been done anywhere else; that idea of presenting the best films that have already been selected by audiences around the world,” said Newson.
Current plans for the festival include a celebrity golf championship and three days of film screenings and entertainment, followed by what Gabinetti and Newson say will be the real meat of the exercise: the introduction of potential film locations to production houses with the bucks to back their films.
Heading up the festival committee are honorary chairman and former culture and tourism minister Joop Ave, alongside his honorary co-chair, Indonesian actress Melati Rima.
Newson says the project is already receiving strong government support for the festival, but that strong funding will define its success.
“What we really need to make the festival the success it will be is financial sponsorship,” she said.
“We know a festival of this nature will bring a volume of dollars to Bali and the rest of Indonesia, but for now we need investment to make that a reality.”
Trisha Sertori, Contributor, Denpasar
The Jakarta Post
May 16th, 2007
A tour of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, will not be complete without tasting the local Taliwang Chicken — Ayam Taliwang — to explore the mystery of its flavor.
This typical Lombok dish is a favorite among both locals and visitors to the island. In Mataram, the provincial capital, it can be found at various eateries from sidewalk food stalls to restaurants in star-rated hotels.
At first glance, Taliwang Chicken looks almost like the common grilled or fried chicken, simply covered with a spicy relish. Only after tasting it can we discern the difference.
The meat is well done and very soft in texture. Both hot and sweet, it has the aroma of terasi (fermented shrimp paste), which prompts us to savor every mouthful.
“It tastes hot and deeply piquant,” said I Made Putra, a resident of Denpasar, Bali, who was enjoying Taliwang Chicken for lunch at Lesehan Taliwang Irama, a Mataram restaurant where guests eat lesehan-style, sitting on floor mats. “It’s my first visit here. A friend told me (about it) and he’s right — the chicken has a unique flavor.”
The name of the dish is derived from Karang Taliwang, a subdistrict in Mataram where the recipe for this regional specialty has its roots. The late H. Abdul Hamid is recognized for creating the Ayam Taliwang recipe in 1970.
Lesehan Taliwang Irama — situated on Jl. Ade Irma Suryani in Karang Taliwang, Cakranegara, Mataram — was set up in 1997 by Hamid’s son, H. Mahmudin, who has since managed the business.
“The ingredients for this chicken are only chili, garlic and terasi, but the method of preparation and the proportions of these condiments are different. My father concocted the spice sauce in the 1970s and first opened a chicken stall near the Cakranegara shopping center back then,” Mahmudin told The Jakarta Post.
He recalled the hard times he experienced when helping his father start the eatery business, particularly because potential customers were as yet unaware of the difference between Ayam Taliwang and grilled or fried chicken.
According to Mahmudin, Taliwang Chicken became known for the first time as a typical food of the area in the 1980s, when a state minister toured Mataram.
“My father got an order for 100 portions from the state minister. Since then, visiting government officials have always sought Taliwang Chicken for their dinners,” he said.
As the unique dish had its beginnings in Karang Taliwang, Mahmudin was struck by the idea of using this name, and established his lesehan restaurant in 1997.
Today, Lesehan Taliwang Irama employs at least 35 people from the area. The emergence of bird flu across Indonesia had reduced his turnover for a while, but the chicken business is now reviving with no incidence of the epidemic in West Nusa Tenggara so far.
As to the mystery of Taliwang Chicken’s delectable flavor, Mahmudin said this concerned the choice of meat as well as the cooking process.
Mahmudin only uses three-month-old free-range chickens, because the meat becomes tough if the chicken is older and “breaks” if it is younger.
After the fowl is cleaned and grilled until it is half done, the meat is tenderized with a pestle and dipped into hot cooking oil for several seconds. It is immersed into the spicy sauce before it is grilled or fried until well done.
But don’t expect an answer to a request for the special sauce’s recipe.
“It’s a trade secret,” remarked Mahmudin. He gave the same response when a number of students from Surabaya, East Java, visited his lesehan and asked for the recipe.
“A journalist from Japan once also wanted the recipe for his article. I just gave him a general instruction,” he added. In face, Mahmudin prepares the sauce and condiments for the dish himself while his cooks finish the chicken, thus maintaining the authentic flavor of the original.
The restaurant’s long existence, in addition to various suggestions from customers, have resulted in Taliwang Irama’s expanded menu, which includes sea- and freshwater fish prepared with the same sauce.
In spite of his established restaurant business, Mahmudin has not considered opening branches outside Lombok.
“It’s simple: Ayam Taliwang carries the unique flavor of Lombok, so let people from other regions come here to try Lombok’s specialty. They will also get an impression of the place,” he said.
The fame of this mouth-watering chicken in the country has even resulted in the production of Taliwang-flavored instant noodles. This worries Mahmudin, who was not contacted by the noodle-maker for permission to capitalize on his family recipe.
“It’s about time for me to form a Taliwang Chicken sellers’ association. This is a formula unique to Taliwang, (so) how can a (mass) product claim to have the same flavor?” he said.
With his plan to trademark his recipe, Mahmudin hoped that the West Nusa Tenggara provincial administration would assist in the nationwide promotion of the Lombok dish.
“A lot of food stalls and hotel restaurants serve Taliwang dishes, but these are known only by word of mouth, rather than through government promotion of regional highlights,” he pointed out.
Taliwang Chicken is even more appetizing when accompanied with local side dishes such as plecing (water spinach with tomato-chili relish) and beberuk (eggplant in chili sauce). Priced at Rp 15,000-25,000 for a full portion, Ayam Taliwang can be found in nearly all eateries in Mataram.
Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, Lombok
May 16th, 2007
Gaungxi TV of Guanxi province, China, established cooperation with Indonesia`s state television station TVRI in broadcasting their programs for a week starting from Friday (May 11).
The cooperation called “Sepekan Festival Budaya China” (A Week of Chinese Culture Festival) was signed by the president director of TVRI ICN Arsana and President of Guangxi TV Huang Zucheng at the TVRI Auditorium in Jakarta on Sunday night.
The cooperation between the two TV stations will serve as a milestone in promoting the exchanges between the two sides, Huang Zucheng said.
He said that his side planned to expand the cooperation in the form of exchange of news and special topics.
“Previously, the two TV stations have three times established cooperation each year starting in 2004,” he said.
Meanwhile TVRI president director ICN Arsana said that the cooperation was a solid proof of an international relationship which can be established between TVRI and TV stations of other countries, both at ASEAN, Asia and global level.
“Both the TV stations are also engaged in a joint broadcast of programs covering arts and culture of the two countries which can be watched by Indonesians directly through TVRI,” he said.
Meanwhile, Head of the Radio, Film and TV bureau of Huangxi TV Yang Jiang Uo said that as the only Chinese province bordering at sea and on land with ASEAN, Guangxi is the easiest access for China to reach ASEAN.
“Now Guangxi is engaged in a new cooperation between the regions to promote cooperation in the economic development of the Bay region under China-ASEAN cooperation of 10 plus 1,” he said.
In the meantime, Minister of National Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik said in his written address read out by Director General of Cultural, Artistic and Film Values Mukhlis Paeni said that in the ASEAN summit in Bali in 2003 attended by ASEAN and Chinese heads of state decided that in year in Naning, Guangxi, a China-ASEAN Expo would be regularly held as of 2004.
Guangxi TV as the only Chinese state television station is carrying out its tasks and promote China at expositions and promote ASEAN in China and in other parts of the world, he said.
In the meantime, Director for Business and Commercial Development of TVRI Hempi Prajudi said that the week of the joint cultural festival will be broadcast by TVRI for a week starting on Friday (May 11) at 8 p.m every day, while the TVRI program broadcast at Guangxi TV covers tourism in Bali and in Indonesia in general.
“The highlight of the week of cultural festival in Bali on May 15 would be `ASEAN Beauty`, something like a Chinese and ASEAN beauty contest broadcast by both TVRI and Gaungxi TV.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Gaungxi TV of Guanxi province, China, established cooperation with Indonesia`s state television station TVRI in broadcasting their programs for a week starting from Friday (May 11).
The cooperation called “Sepekan Festival Budaya China” (A Week of Chinese Culture Festival) was signed by the president director of TVRI ICN Arsana and President of Guangxi TV Huang Zucheng at the TVRI Auditorium in Jakarta on Sunday night.
The cooperation between the two TV stations will serve as a milestone in promoting the exchanges between the two sides, Huang Zucheng said.
He said that his side planned to expand the cooperation in the form of exchange of news and special topics.
“Previously, the two TV stations have three times established cooperation each year starting in 2004,” he said.
Meanwhile TVRI president director ICN Arsana said that the cooperation was a solid proof of an international relationship which can be established between TVRI and TV stations of other countries, both at ASEAN, Asia and global level.
“Both the TV stations are also engaged in a joint broadcast of programs covering arts and culture of the two countries which can be watched by Indonesians directly through TVRI,” he said.
Meanwhile, Head of the Radio, Film and TV bureau of Huangxi TV Yang Jiang Uo said that as the only Chinese province bordering at sea and on land with ASEAN, Guangxi is the easiest access for China to reach ASEAN.
“Now Guangxi is engaged in a new cooperation between the regions to promote cooperation in the economic development of the Bay region under China-ASEAN cooperation of 10 plus 1,” he said.
In the meantime, Minister of National Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik said in his written address read out by Director General of Cultural, Artistic and Film Values Mukhlis Paeni said that in the ASEAN summit in Bali in 2003 attended by ASEAN and Chinese heads of state decided that in year in Naning, Guangxi, a China-ASEAN Expo would be regularly held as of 2004.
Guangxi TV as the only Chinese state television station is carrying out its tasks and promote China at expositions and promote ASEAN in China and in other parts of the world, he said.
In the meantime, Director for Business and Commercial Development of TVRI Hempi Prajudi said that the week of the joint cultural festival will be broadcast by TVRI for a week starting on Friday (May 11) at 8 p.m every day, while the TVRI program broadcast at Guangxi TV covers tourism in Bali and in Indonesia in general.
“The highlight of the week of cultural festival in Bali on May 15 would be `ASEAN Beauty`, something like a Chinese and ASEAN beauty contest broadcast by both TVRI and Gaungxi TV.
Jakarta, ANTARA News
May 15th, 2007
Local Tourism Figures Urge Now is the Time to Repair the Visa-on-Arrival System and Grant More Autonomy to Bali’s Tourism Industry.
Now breathing easier and safe from the most recent Cabinet Reshuffle, Indonesia’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Jero Wacik, is being urged by tourism leaders in Bali to lobby the Minister of Justice and Human Rights to eliminate the unpopular visa-on-arrival (VOA) policy. Minister Wacik is also being urged to seek a Presidential decree providing special status to Bali’s tourism industry, allowing the Island more autonomy in developing its tourism industry.
The Vice-Chairman of Bali’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), Ida Bagus Surakusuma, told the Indonesian language NusaBali that the elimination of the VOA is the “best solution” to help restore Bali’s tourism. Surakusuma, the Head of Pacific World Travel and more popularly known as “Lolec,” said that now that the Culture and Tourism Minister has ben spared in the Cabinet Reshuffle “Jero Wacik must wisely use this opportunity.”
Lolec told Nusa Bali that Wacik should ask the Minister of Justice and Human Rights to reintroduce the system of free visa entry (BVKS) to replace the VOA.
Lolec posed the question, “if other countries can extend a BVKS, why can’t Indonesia.?” Lolec is confident that the removal of the VOA and replacement with a BVKS will bolster arrival numbers.
Special Presidential Decree Needed
In a separate statement, a member of the Advisory Board of KADIN, Gede Jaya Susila, said a Presidential decree granting special status to Bali’s tourism industry and more autonomy in its management is needed.
Insisting that the people of Bali were best equipped to address the many problems of the Island’s tourism, the proposed Presidential Decree would focus power in developing tourism with the local community where it belongs.
Susila sees the Presidential Decree as preparing the way for a consistent means of financing Bali’s tourism industry, preparing the way for the utilization of the taxes paid by the Hotel and Restaurant sector and obtaining a share of visa fees collected from Bali’s tourist visitors.
Bali Discovery Tours.
May 14th, 2007
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