Archive for July 10th, 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