Archive for July, 2007
Last weekend, Bali was packed with hundreds of professional and amateur athletes taking part in the first Bali International Triathlon on June 24.
Despite the scorching sun of Jimbaran, contestants from 25 countries enjoyed the sporting event — competing in swimming, running and cycling — while also holidaying on the island.
Before sunrise on Sunday, athletes and spectators crowded the venue near the Four Season Hotels and Resorts in Jimbaran Bay. The competition started with a 1.5-kilometer swim across Jimbaran Beach.
Jointly organized by the Bali International Triathlon, Bali Discovery Tours, LCC aka Generic events, and Strom and Associate APC, the Bali triathlon is to become an annual international sports event to attract more athletes to the island.
After finishing the swimming segment, the contestants ran to where their bicycles were waiting to embark on a 40-kilometer race from Jimbaran to Nusa Dua.
Following the cycling segment was the final part of the race, a 10K marathon.
The competition was divided into three categories: individual men and women, as well as corporate teams.
The winner in the men’s category was British athlete Daniel Plews, 25, who recorded a fantastic score of 1 hour, 58 minutes and 30 seconds.
In the women’s category, Singaporean Kelly Toy, 30, won with a time of 2 hours, 25 minutes and 23 seconds.
“This is my first visit to this beautiful island of Bali,” said Plews. “I did not expect to win this competition, which is very great.”
Arie Sukirno, a member of the triathlon steering committee, said the competition needed some improvement here and there, as this was the first time such a race had ever been held on the island.
Even so, the event was successful in that it garnered much enthusiasm from athletes.
“The number of participants reached beyond our target of only 100 athletes,” Sukirno said.
Asked whether he would return for next year’s triathlon, Plews responded: “I will certainly take part in the 2008 Bali Triathlon and will ask my friends to take part in this exciting event.”
Two other contestants, Desak Sri and her husband Joseph Taylor, happily shared their experience.
“My husband took part in the individual triathlon category, but I only participated in a 5-kilometer run,” said Desak.
Desak and her husband are triathlon regulars, and have participated in the event in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and even France.
“We were very excited when hearing that Bali was holding this event,” Desak said enthusiastically.
Badung Regent A.A. Gde Agung said during Sunday’s opening ceremony that the event would have a significant impact on the island’s tourism industry.
“We have to create innovative and attractive activities in addition to cultural events,” Agung said.
Bali has long been known as one of the leading destinations for leisure and business activities, but is not yet known as a sporting destination.
“We have received thousands of holidaymakers and those of the business community who want to hold their business conference here,” the regent said, adding that the island hosted only a few international sporting events like tennis and golf.
Wasti Atmodjo, Contributor, Jimbaran, Bali, Jakarta Post
July 11th, 2007
Bali Zoo, situated in the village of Singapadu (near Ubud), has known better days. Since the tragic terrorist attacks of 2002 and 2005, a downturn in tourism has seen the number of visitors to the zoo rapidly decline.
Often criticised for its barren enclosures, consisting mainly of concrete and iron bars, the zoo is long overdue for an upgrade of its facilities. However, a slump in tourist numbers translates to a drop in revenue, so the Bali Zoo’s owner, Anak Agung Gede Putra, has been unable to run the zoo at a first class standard. In fact, Agung’s valiant effort over the years to keep his 75 staff employed, and 350 animals fed, has left the zoo in debt to the staggering amount of AUD500,000.
The local bank, after giving the zoo many years to repay the debt, indicated that they would need to take over the facility to reclaim their losses. Sensitive to the fact that this could mean unemployment and the accompanying domino effect for the local community, Agung avoided this situation for as long as he possibly could.
As luck would have it, the owner of Peel Zoo in Western Australia, Tony Greenwood, made an unplanned visit with his family to Bali Zoo in November 2006. His concern about the small enclosures and other living conditions of the animals prompted Tony to offer his expertise to help improve conditions at the zoo.
Over the past few months, the task has evolved into something much larger than first anticipated. In May, Tony began renovating by simply knocking down walls and increasing the size of many of the animal enclosures. He also assisted Agung in negotiating a repayment plan with the bank.
There is still a lot to be done, and now that the scale of the project is known, a much larger commitment is required of the Greenwood family. At the request of Agung, they have made the decision to move to Bali and follow this project through to completion.
Plans are now in place to continue with the renovation of enclosures, taking full advantage of their tropical jungle setting, and turning the Bali Zoo into a world class facility where the animals can live comfortably. As well as physically upgrading the zoo there are plans to create an education centre that will provide staff and locals with knowledge of zoology and tourism. The zoo’s restaurant, Starbhoga, has also had its kitchen and menu revamped, and is a fantastic dining option in its own right.
Of course, all of these improvements come at a price. Whilst the Greenwood family has already contributed much out of their own pocket, they require your support to continue with the Bali Zoo Project. Whether in the form of a donation, animal sponsorship, corporate naming rights to an enclosure, visiting the zoo when you are in Bali, or even just spreading the word - your support would be greatly appreciated by all in the Bali Zoo family.
Further information:
http://www.peelzoo.com
Tony Greenwood – info@peelzoo.com or 0402 758682
Fund Raising Account For Bali Zoo
BSB: 036171, Acc # 179732
Westpac Bank - Pinjarra
PayPal donations:
www.paypal.com - ‘Send money’ to balizoo@safe-mail.net
e-Travel Blackboard (press release) - Sydney,NSW,Australia
July 10th, 2007
JAKARTA, June 25 (Xinhua) — The absence of a direct flight between China and the Indonesian famous resort island of Bali has hampered the government’s effort to boost arrivals from China, an official said Monday.
Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia serves routes to Chinese cities but has no direct flight between China and Bali as its planes have to make a stopover in Jakarta, said I Gede Nurjaya (rpt. I Gede Nurjaya), the head of the Bali provincial tourism office.
The ongoing visit by Chinese Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng to Bali is expected to become a turning point to boost arrivals from China, he was quoted by the national Antara news agency as saying.
Nurjaya said he got information that a Chinese airliner plans to serve a direct flight between Bali and Guangzhou, capital of south China’s Guangdong province.
“Hopefully, direct Guangzhou-Bali flights will significantly increase the number of Chinese visitors to Bali,” he said.
Editor: Jiang Yuxia
Xinhua - China
July 10th, 2007
Following six months of intensive research, which included direct interviews with hundreds of Balinese residents and foreign visitors, the local government has finally unveiled its new tourism brand for the resort island.
The new brand is expected to unite the tourism industry under a single flag and battle cry in an effort to elevate the vital economic sector, which had been paralyzed by two terrorist attacks, environmental degradation and the locals’ increasing resentment toward tourism development.
“We hope this brand will give us new energy in our struggle to recover the industry, which for decades has been the backbone of the island’s economy,” Bali Tourism Agency head Nurdjaya said.
The new brand — comprising a logo, a tagline and a series of strategic recommendations — centers around the vision of making Bali known as “The World’s Place of Harmonious Peace”.
Teguh Mahasari, the engine behind the so-called Bali Reborn team responsible for preparing the new tourism brand, said the vision was the key, recurring message conveyed by a large majority of the research participants.
“It genuinely reflects the true aspiration of the Balinese people as well as the visitors’. Harmony, balance, peace and spirituality are several major themes that kept appearing in our interviews with people from a wide spectrum of society,” she said.
In the course of their research, the Bali Reborn team interviewed 900 Balinese individuals, from Hindu high priests to academic scholars, and from farmers to housewives in every regency of the island.
The results showed that over 50 percent believed “paradise” or “heaven” was the image that most correctly described Bali. This was followed by “balance” at 26.5 percent of respondents then by “harmony” at 21.9 percent. Curiously, “vacation” was only selected as the most suitable image by 16.5 percent of respondents.
Moreover, they also listed temple, culture, traditional customs and arts as the island’s most precious heritage. A staggering 73.5 percent majority viewed the temple as the perfect icon to represent Bali.
Meanwhile, 37.3 percent of 327 foreign visitors to Bali recalled “Island of the Gods” as the island’s most popular tagline. Only a minuscule 5.8 percent considered it to be Bali is My Life”, the most recent tagline, as popular.
“The team analyzed and interpreted the findings and then came up with this new brand,” Teguh said.
The brand concept was based on the ancient Balinese Hindu principle of Tri Hita Karana, the harmonious and balanced relationship between three primary elements: mankind, nature and God.
“That’s the philosophy behind our triangular-shaped logo. The triangle perfectly captures the stable relationship between the three elements,” Teguh said.
The spiritual nature of the brand is further reflected in the colors of the logo — red, black and white, the colors respectively associated with the Balinese Hindu trinity of Brahma, Wisnu (Vishnu) and Siwa (Shiva).
The final touch was the tagline “Shanti, Shanti, Shanti”, obviously taken from the daily Balinese Hindu prayer of Tri Sandhya. Literally meaning peace, shanti and its repetitive chant is a sacred invocation for a reign of peace in the three worlds — the under, middle and upper.
“Frankly, we want this brand to inspire the Balinese as much as the foreign visitors. With the increasing internal conflicts among Balinese, the people of this island needs peace as much as any other in this world,” Teguh stressed.
– I Wayan Juniartha - Jakarta Post - Jakarta,Indonesia
July 10th, 2007
Saturday, June 16
* 3 p.m. Opening ceremony and cultural parade; Puputan Margarana square, Renon,Denpasar
* 8:30 p.m. The Death of Niwata Kwaca dance drama; Ardha Candra amphitheater
Sunday, June 17
* 7 p.m. Cupak, Balinese traditional dance on gluttony; Ayodya stage
* 7 p.m. Chinese traditional dances; Ksirarnawa indoor stage
Monday, June 18
* 12 p.m. Joged Bumbung, vivacious and sometimes erotic dance; Ayodya stage
* 4 p.m. Leko classical dance; Ayodya stage
Tuesday, June 19
* 10 a.m. Balinese opera Arja, staged by children’s troupe; Wantilan stage
* 8 p.m. Gong Kebyar competition, featuring two children’s gamelan troupes from
Wednesday, June 20
* 7 p.m. Shadow puppet performance by I Gusti Ayu Putri, a female puppeteer from Badung; Wantilan stage
* 8 p.m. Gong Kebyar competition, featuring two children’s gamelan troupes from Badung and Denpasar, Ardha Chandra amphitheater
Unless otherwise noted, all events will take place at Taman Budaya Bali (Bali Arts Center), Jl. Nusa Indah 1, Denpasar; phone (0361) 227176.
the jakarta post
July 6th, 2007
The 29th Bali Arts Festival, which will open on Saturday, June 16, is expected to be the grandest celebration of the Balinese people’s aesthetic spirit and creativity.
“The fact that the annual festival has entered its 29th year is a clear testimony of the Balinese people’s continuous and passionate romance with arts and culture,” Nyoman Nikanaya said.
As the head of the Bali Culture Office, Nikanaya is the top government official responsible for organizing and managing the month-long festival. It wasn’t an easy task, he conceded.
“When you have to organize hundreds of troupes from different areas and, at the same time, have to deal with various restrictions and limitations imposed by the government’s budget as well as a new, tighter policy on financial monitoring, well, trust me, it is definitely more difficult than what we had to do last year,” he said.
Lamentations aside, this year’s festival will feature a total of 187 events, including 110 performances, six parades and eight competitions, involving over 13,000 performers. It will also feature performances of visiting troupes from 14 provinces, including Jakarta, West Sumatra, East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi and Papua.
“It will be an interesting display of our country’s cultural richness and diversity,” Nikanaya said.
Moreover, 12 foreign troupes — representing Canada, China, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore and the United States — have confirmed their participation in the festival.
To finance the event, the Bali government has allocated Rp 3.8 billion (US$400,000), most of which — around Rp 2.9 billion — has been distributed to the participating troupes.
“Each sekeha (Balinese traditional arts troupe) on average received 6 million rupiah,” said Nikanaya. “For bigger, colossal performances like the Sendratari dance drama, we provided the troupe with a greater sum, somewhere between 30 to 50 million rupiah.”
The remainder of the funds was allocated toward financing the cultural parade for the opening ceremony, which is to take place at the Puputan Margarana square in Renon, South Denpasar.
The square’s towering Bajra Sandhi monument will be the principal backdrop for the parade, which will showcase the best performances from each regency on the island.
“President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and at least eight Cabinet ministers will be present during the ceremony,” Nikanaya said.
Besides officiating the opening of the festival, the president is also slated to launch the island’s new tourism campaign.
The cultural parade will be centered around the festival’s main theme of Sura Dhira Jayeng Rat, or celebration of heroic spirit.
“Generally, heroism is associated with armed struggles — wars and violent conflict. The festival will try to remind the public that there is another kind of hero — artists and performers,” Nikanaya stressed.
Arts and culture form the backbone of Balinese existence, identity and civilization. Without them, the Balinese people would simply cease to exist.
“It is the artists — the dancers, choreographers, musicians, singers, puppeteers — who nurture, preserve and safeguard our cultural heritage, and thus our existence. They are our heroes, Balinese heroes,” he said.
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
July 6th, 2007
More Australian-Bali Flights Now Available to Serve Rebounding Demand from Oz Holidaymakers
With Australian arrivals still lagging some 30% behind numbers recorded during the heydays of the tourist boom just 3 years ago, improving year-on-year arrivals have prompted Garuda Indonesia to increase seat capacity with a new Wednesday flight from Sydney to Bali, effective June 20, 2007.
Australian arrivals to Bali January-May 2007 totaled 65,561 which represents a +56.34% increase from the same period in 2006.
The new flight, GA 717 brings the total number of Garuda Indonesia services between Sydney and Bali to five non-stop flights per week with departures daily, except Tuesday and Friday.
GA 717 departs on Wednesday mid-morning at 10:00 a.m. arriving in Bali mid-afternoon at 2:35 p.m. Inbound to Australia, GA 716 allows holidaymakers to maximize their holiday time in Bali, departing in the early hours of Wednesday morning at 1:00 a.m. and arriving the same day at 0830hrs in Sydney.
“The introduction of the new service results in a doubling of capacity from Sydney since the end of March which, along with capacity increases from Perth and Melbourne earlier in the year, put Garuda Indonesia in a good position to handle the increasing demand for Bali,” said the airline’s Regional General Manager, Southwest Pacific, Suranto Yitnopawiro.
Garuda Indonesia has the greatest number of non-stop flights to Bali, serving Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Darwin.
© Bali Discovery Tours.
July 5th, 2007
The first four months have show that Bali tourism figures are at some of their highest ever with these figures not even seen prior to the calamities brought on by disasters either natural or man-made.
The January to April period has seen a 472,000 strong foreign inbound figure, and is the highest statistic since the turn of the century. This strong demand has been reflected in the 12.5% year-on-year growth in hotel room rates.
Strong growth has been seen recently in the Russia and India regions, and has been largely attributed to stronger air links and a more streamlined visa process, with the new Visa on Arrival (VOA) scheme.
But it seems from all this happy news, Australian tourism figures – traditionally one of Bali’s biggest source markets – are still down and the recovery pace is still slow. Recent diplomatic issues have seemingly rendered a rift that is becoming difficult to overcome.
Bali is also gearing itself up for hosting the 2007 PATA Travel Mart come late September. One of the premier travel marts in the region, the event is sure to highlight Bali’s progress through challenges.
“For Indonesia and Bali in particular, the Mart is just what the doctor ordered: a leading, global travel trade event to remind the travel trade that Bali is one of the world’s great destinations,” said Peter de Jong, PATA President and CEO.
For more information on the PATA Travel Mart visit www.PATA.org/mart.
e-Travel Blackboard (press release) - Sydney,NSW,Australia
July 4th, 2007
Sun-filled Skies Greet Nearly 300 Athletes at Very Successful Inaugural Bali Internation Triathlon.
Shortly after dispatching a troupe of a Bali lifesavers from the shore to assume their posts in Jimbaran Bay, Badung’s Regent A.A. Agung sounded the starting signal at 8:00 on Sunday, June 24, 2007, that sent a large group of swimmers on a 1.5 km swim in the calm waters of Jimbaran Bay and marked the start of the inaugural Bali International Triathlon.
Just 22 minutes later, the first swimmers emerged from the sea to dash to the designated transition area where they mounted bikes for a fast and sometimes furious 40 km race down the Ungasan peninsula to Nusa Dua and back. Urged on by large enthusiastic crowds, the lead bikers averaged more than 40km per hour and were back at Jimbaran Bay in less than an hours where they parked their bicycles before speeding off on the final 10 km foot race through the villages of Jimbaran.
During the second phase of the race, while the triathletes cycled through Bali’s South, a second group comprised of more than 110 runners left on a 5 km fun run through Jimbaran village.
Race Central
The Four Season’s Resort’s Coconut Grove served as race central for the triathlon and home to a central command post coordinating security service provided by more than 400 police offices, and over 500 volunteer from local communities and workers at leading Bali hotels who guided the races down Bali’s roads and byways.
Race Central was also home to a lively bazaar where musicians entertained throughout the morning; local businesses sold merchandise and offered delicious food and drink; ice cream vendors sold their home-made confections; and masseurs provided free massages to the public and athletes. To ensure the health and safety of the race participants, the Bali International Medical Center established a fully-equipped field hospital providing complimentary medical services throughout the race.
With the Regent of Badung, A.A. Agung acting as the official marshal of the race and sounding the starting horn, the event was widely covered by both local and national media with Radio Republik Indonesia and other electronic media hosting live broadcasts from the starting line.
2nd Bali International Triathlone June 2008
Echoing the enthusiastic support of Badung’s Regent, race organizers from Generic Events, Bali Discovery Events and Bali International Triathlon LLC declared Bali’s first triathlon an overwhelming success and immediately announced plans to hold a similar event in the second half of June 2008.
For those who couldn’t join the fun at Jimbaran beach, balidiscovery.com features some snapshots from race day in Bali.
Race Results
The overall winner of the Bali International Triathlon was Daniel Plews, competing in the 25-29 year old class who covered the 1.5 km swim, 40 km cycle race and 10 km run in just 01:58.30. He was followed by Taipei-based Craig Johns who turned in a time of 2:04.36.
In the corporate relay team division a team of 3 local athletes from the Discovery Kartika Plaza won first in that division, turning in a total time of 2:04:41.
Complete race results are available at [Bali Triathlon Web Site]
http://www.balitriathlon.com
Bali Discovery Tours
July 3rd, 2007
DENPASAR: Badung, known as Bali’s most prosperous regency, is to host later this year the World Climate Change Conference at the Nusa Dua resort complex, from Dec. 3 through Dec. 14.
The conference is expected to attract about 10,000 participants from around the world.
Prior to the conference, Badung regency in cooperation with the State Ministry for the Environment will hold a special regreening campaign. The campaign, to be held on July 13, will involve planting shade trees along the main thoroughfare connecting Ngurah Rai International Airport, located in Kuta’s Tuban area, to Nusa Dua.
The project aims to replace old trees and to raise public awareness on the importance of maintaining environmental balance.
“We expect that the event will boost the image of Bali as a secure and beautiful venue for international events,” said Badung Regent A.A. Gde Agung.
“The upcoming event is a clear sign that Bali has regained international trust, and this will also help recover the island’s tourism industry,” he said.
Jakarta Post - Jakarta,Indonesia
July 2nd, 2007
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