Archive for August, 2007
DENPASAR—The presentation by the Suara Dhana Dance Studio Singapadu, Gianyar adequately mesmerized the spectators in the series of Bali Arts Festival 2007 a short time ago. Genggong is a form of Balinese traditional music. A collaboration of genggong and the musical instrument of typically Caribbean named tenor steel drum was presented. A steel drum resembles a parabolic antenna and is played by striking its sunken surface. The distinctive sound of genggong was very attractive when combined with the sound of Caribbean music that resembled the plucking of guitar and playing of piano. However, the more fascinating thing from this performance is the performance of Jeh, a tourist from the United States who loves Balinese gamelan music. Jeh took part in playing a flute (bamboo flute). In the meantime, Miss Deirdre Morgan, a Canadian, was assigned to play genggong. This art troupe chaired by Made Subandi staged some dances like the Sampat Dance, Gonggang Music, Nyongket Music and Semuuk Dance. (BTN/015)
Source: http://www.bali-travelnews.com/
August 13th, 2007
BADUNG—Coinciding with the Galungan Festivity (Wednesday, 27 June), Laurent Wybo and Stephany Willmotte, a couple from Belgium who relished the ambience of the feast day celebration in Bali visited the Gallery of Wayan Beratha Yasa at Kapal Village, Mengwi, Badung. On that visit, they did not only admire the characteristic works of this senior painter, but also shopped for two paintings to be brought home. According to the painter Wayan Beratha Yasa, it was not the first time. Previously, a number of his paintings have been purchased by foreign tourists from Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and so forth. Seen on the picture, Beratha Yasa (wearing glasses) posed together with the tour guide escorting Laurent Wybo and Stephany Willmotte. (BTN/015)
Source: http://www.bali-travelnews.com/
August 10th, 2007
BADUNG—Tourism promotion carried out by the Badung Government Tourist Office through the Indonesian Travel Mart in Jakarta not long ago called a success. Brochures and books carrying the information on tourist objects and other tourism products were thronged by a crowd of visitors. According to Mr. Dewa Made Sumitra, the exhibition held for several days was excellent as from the opening session through the closing the booth of Bali represented by Badung Regency and Denpasar Municipality never lacked of visitors. “We were overrun by abundant visitors who eagerly asked a variety of tourist package brochures,” he observed.
Source: http://www.bali-travelnews.com/
August 10th, 2007
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Major international hotel chain St. Regis is hoping that its first resort and residences in Asia, which is currently being built in Bali, will be able to open in July next year.
Located in Nusa Dua, Bali, on a site of 8.8 hectares belonging to the Bali Tourism Development Corporation (BTDC), the luxurious St. Regis Resort and Residences will have 81 hotel suites, 41 resort villas and 14 residences, with the villas and residences available for purchase.
Erhard Hotter, the hotel operations CEO of PT Rajawali Corpora, the developer of the resort, said that the strong points of the Bali resort included its proximity to the beach, and outstanding architecture and interior design in keeping with St. Regis’ standards.
“For example, a hotel suite measures nearly 100 square meters. We offer the most space compared to the others,” he said at the launch of the resort property sales Tuesday in Jakarta.
The resort will also be equipped with swimming pools, spa, restaurants and bars, and business center, and will have the Bali Golf and Country Club as its immediate neighbor.
Hotel room rates will range from US$400 to $3,000, while the prices of villas will start at US$700,000, and those of residences at $1.27 million.
Rajawali general manager for sales and marketing Aswin Widjanarko said that a number of villas and two of the most expensive residences, priced at $2.2 million each, were sold during the launch of the sales in Hong Kong and Singapore earlier this year.
He added that resort villa owners would enjoy a guaranteed 7 percent annual return on their investment for the first three years and 40 percent of aggregate annual gross room rental revenue thereafter.
“We’ve seen that people are very interested in buying our products, although many still prefer to wait and see,” said Aswin, adding that St. Regis would hold an exhibition for the still under-construction Bali resort and residences in the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Jakarta, this weekend.
“Construction will be completed by March 2008,” said Hotter.
St. Regis is a subsidiary of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc., which is also the holding company for other well-known hotel brands, including Sheraton, Westin and LeMeridien.
St. Regis, which opened its first hotel in New York in 1904, currently operates 12 hotels, resorts and residences, including ones in Aspen, Beijing, London, Rome and San Fransisco. It is also developing nine others, including ones in Bali, Singapore, and Mexico City. (11)
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/
August 9th, 2007
Traveling to Indonesia is definitely a trip you will never forget.Plan for a long ride to get there, as it is a 31 hour flight from New York. Bali is a wonderful area with an array of fun filled activities to choose from. It is the main tourist area of Indonesia.
The people of Bali are very friendly, and enjoy having visitors come to their area. Many speak English to interact with tourists. They have chosen to preserve their culture for all to see rather than change it to become like other countries. The beaches are a main attraction with surfing being one of the most popular activities. Others enjoy renting a boat for the day to relax on the open waters.
Lodging in Bali ranges from small bungalows to huge fancy hotels, all with basic accommodations to meet the needs of tourists. The view from your hotel will be wonderful because of the rich beauty of the area regardless of where you choose to stay.
The people of Bali are very artistic. They enjoy painting, weaving, carving, basket making, and other arts. Children are taught art from a very early age. They often display their makings to sell to the tourists.
Temples are a main attraction in Bali. They are called Pura. The temples provide an opportunity to explore religion and art of the culture. The people of Bali are still very religious, and it is very important that those visiting the Temples show respect for their religious beliefs.
Art galleries exhibit creative and attractive art work to view. Wildlife and nature reserves are popular in Bali. Many people go to get a glimpse of the very dangerous Komodo Dragon, a large lizard that is found only in the area and is extinct. The rare Java tiger is also displayed.
There are more than 400 volcanoes in Indonesia, 128 are still active. They offer a historical view of this natural creation to observe. Botanic Gardens are also a very popular attraction. Displaying flora and fauna as well as promoting conservation, people are drawn to the beauty of such attractions.
While Indonesia is a beautiful and serene place to visit, it is strongly advised at this time to be cautious with such visits due to the possibility of terrorist attacks. If you do choose to travel to the area do not travel alone and make sure you have registered with the US Embassy.
Criss manages http://www.travelstreet.info and http://www.travelweblog.net
Source: http://www.arabia.com/
August 8th, 2007
Having celebrated the grandiose Galungan and Kuningan festivity of which a “vibration” is perceived through Wednesday (1 August), the Hindus in Bali commemorate devoutly the Tumpek Krulut (Saturday, 11 August). This Tumpek Krulut, another important feast day specially dedicated for gamelan (Balinese traditional music) and other arts, will be celebrated by artists throughout Bali.
In the meantime, other devotees start to clean up their house compound from the attributive paraphernalia employed on the Galungan and Kuningan festivity on Wednesday (1 August). Obviously, on that day called Pegat Uwakan all penjors that have been installed are dismantled and cleaned up. Afterwards, all decorations of the penjor are set on fire (pralina) and the ashes are then buried within the courtyard of the sanctum such as at the area of their respective shrine and merajan or family temple.
This edition of the Bali Travel News features a variety of reports relating to Bali like the stipulation of this island as the most beautiful island worldwide in the version of one of US-based prestigious tourism magazines and other intriguing tourism news.
Source: http://www.bali-travelnews.com/
August 7th, 2007
JAKARTA: Australian No. 2 Pro Junior Heath Joske won the third and final event of the Billabong Pro Junior Series Indonesia, defeating Shaun Joubert of South Africa.
The victory put Joske in the position of overall champion of the three-leg series. The previous events were held in Keramas in May and Kuta Reef in June.
“To win this contest and this series is just over the top. There was some tough competition out there, from the locals like Mustofa, Garut and Raditya and from the other guys. I just want to thank everybody,” he said.
Joske pocketed US$2,200, a Balinese headdress and products from Billabong Indonesia. Runner up Joubert earned $900 while third finishers Dale Lovelock and Dean Bowen each received $500.
The top ranking Indonesian at the series was 18-year-old Balinese Mustofa Jeksen. He won a wildcard entry spot in the 2008 Billabong ASP Word Junior Championship Von Zipper Trials in Sydney, Australia. — JP
Source: The Jakarta Post
August 6th, 2007
35 Bali Restaurants and 74 Hotels Join Forces this August for a Month-long Festival of Fine Dining.
Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation in cooperation with the Bali Tourism Board, Bali Hotel Association, Bali Culinary Professional and Garuda Indonesia have combined forces to present an innovative month-long food promotion focused solely on the island of Bali.
Lasting for the entire month of August 2007, the Bali Dining Festival will showcase the endless variety of dining possibilities available on the Island working with the very best restaurants at the world’s most popular holiday destination.
The Bali Dining Festival features four interrelated parts:
- The Passport to Delight - a booklet highlighting special menus and offers from participating restaurants offering rewards at local spas, restaurants and the chance to win a holiday.
- The Culinary Safaris offers organized tours to three or four restaurants on a single evening with ’starters’ in one, main courses in the next and dessert in the last!
- The Chefs Master Classes provides participants the opportunity to join a cooking class in some of the best chef’s kitchens.
- Gala Dinners an island-wide celebration of fine dining with special menus and prizes at all participating restaurants on August 31, 2007.
Passports and restaurant booking will be available at all 74 members of the Bali Hotel Association together with 35 participating venues, as well as from the Bali Tourism Board.
Source: http://www.tourismindonesia.com/
August 6th, 2007
AFX News Limited
JAKARTA (Thomson Financial) - Foreign tourist arrivals to Indonesia in the first half to June rose 12.22 percent year-on-year to 2.14 million, with arrivals to the resort island of Bali accounting for a significant chunk of the increase, the Central Bureau of Statistics showed.
Arrivals through Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport rose 33.7 percent to 781,059 while arrivals at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport, the second biggest entry point in the country, declined 1.9 percent to 554,086.
In June alone, nationwide tourists arrivals through 15 entry points rose to 411,264 from 366,137 in May, the bureau said.
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Source: Forbes.com
August 3rd, 2007
The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
The number of tourist arrivals in Bali has increased from 552,573 during the first semester of 2006 to 745,949 during the same period of this year, the Bali Tourism Office reported Thursday.
The office also said hotel occupancy rates had increased to an average of 57.70 percent with an average length of stay of 3.37 days. In 2006, the average hotel occupancy rate was 30.68 percent.
The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced Wednesday that tourism in Indonesia was picking up again, despite the recent travel warnings issued by the United States and Australia.
The number of tourists coming to Indonesia amounted to 2.14 million in the first semester of this year from only 1.91 million in the same period of last year.
This data was received with mixed feelings by Bali’s tourism community.
Cokorda Oka Ardhana Sukawati or Cok Ace, the chairman of Bali’s Hotels and Restaurants Association, said such indicators were encouraging given the fact that a number of countries had advised their citizens against visiting Bali and the European Union had banned all Indonesian airlines from flying to Europe, which had caused some European tourists to cancel planned visits to Bali.
“However, we really have to evaluate the quality of their visits to Bali,” Cok Ace said.
Based on Central Bank data, foreign tourists stay for no more than six days on average.
Prior to the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings, when the average length of stay of foreign tourists to Bali was 16-30 days, the tourism boom had driven much of Bali’s economy.
The island also contributed more than 50 percent of the country’s US$5.5 billion income from tourism and the industry provided job opportunities for 33 percent of the total workforce in Bali.
Bali, Cok Ace said, was currently facing cutting-edge competition from the neighboring countries of Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. A number of attractive tourist destinations have also emerged in India, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Pacific Islands.
“To maintain steady tourist arrivals, Bali must be promoted continually in the international travel market as a favorite destination,” he said.
The tourism industry has been working to change the image of the island to that of a peaceful destination using the “Shanti, Shanti, Shanti” slogan, which translates into “Peace, Peace, Peace”.
But budgetary constraints and poor planning have hampered the growth of the island’s tourism sector.
Following the bombings in 2005, the central government set up the Bali Recovery Fund to boost tourism on the island. The effectiveness of the fund has, however, been called into question by many parties.
Gde Nurjaya, the head of the Bali Tourism Office, said that Bali was now expanding its market to India, Middle Eastern countries, China, East Europe, Russia and Latin America.
“Most visitors to Bali come from Japan, Australia, Taiwan and Europe and South Korea, and countries in the Middle East have emerged as flourishing markets,” Nurjaya said adding that the opening of Qatar Airways services plying Doha-Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar had brought tourists from the Middle East to Bali. Russian airlines are also slated to open direct routes to Denpasar.
Bali received 1.2 million foreign visitors last year. It is expected the number will increase given the positive data for the start of 2007.
Source: The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
August 3rd, 2007
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