Archive for September, 2007
Bali has been chosen to host a US$600,000 international year-end singles tennis championships in 2009, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour announced Monday.
The Commonwealth Bank International Classic is part of the Roadmap 2010, designed to streamline the packed calender year and ensure that players remain healthy and fulfill their commitments through a longer off-season, Tour CEO Larry Scott said in Bali at a signing ceremony for the event.
It will replace the Tier 3 championships held since 2001, first as the Wismilak International and this year as the US$225,000 Commonwealth Bank International Classic. American Lindsay Davenport won the title Sunday.
The new championships will be the last event of the season and held on Nov. 2, a week after the Sony Ericsson Championships in Qatar, Scott said.
While qualification for Qatar will be based on ranking points, entry to the 8-player, round-robin Bali tournament will be determined by “performance and support of the Tour”, Scott said.
Players from Qatar would not be eligible for Bali, although one special wild card will be granted.
The championships, Scott said, “promises to showcase the Tour’s most exciting future stars and best performers in international level Tour events”.
The winner will receive $200,000.
The Bali tournament has become known as one of the Tour’s most popular events among players. It also has a reputation for supporting Indonesian tennis through the provision of wild cards into qualifying rounds and the main draw. Several players, including Indonesia’s Angelique Widjaja, the 2001 champion at the age of 16, Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, who won the title at 17 in 2002, and last year’s finalist Marion Bartoli, have achieved breakthroughs at the event.
“This is great for tennis and for the spectators who want to see top players, but please don’t forget Asian tennis,” National Tennis Association chairwoman Martina Wijaya said.
Scott said the new event and the opening of a WTA Tour office in Beijing next year showed its commitment to the Asian region and its development.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com
September 19th, 2007
NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AFP) — Bali’s popular women’s tennis tournament was upgraded on Monday to serve as the venue for the WTA’s new International-level season final from 2009.
The current Bali event will be staged for one more year in its post-U.S. Open week at the tropical holiday resort before moving to a November timeslot from 2009 till 2011.
The new-look tournament will then feature the best eight women not qualified for the season-ending WTA Championships in Doha, Qatar, who will compete in the round-robin field in Bali for 600,000 dollars in prize money.
The “”Road to Bali”" will serve as the finale for a series of Asian tournaments to be staged mainly during the autumn period in venues including Guangzhou, Seoul, Kolkata and Singapore.
A tournament in Bangkok will be played in February for players returning to Europe from the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season.
The new championships is part of the WTA’s “”roadmap”" proposals which will shorten the season and are also designed to insure that more top names show up at events to combat the current rash of injury pullouts.
“”It’s great that we will be featuring and promoting in their very own end-of-year finale a group of world class players who are vying to one day be number one in the world,”" said Daniela Hantuchova, who lost the Bali final on Sunday to Lindsay Davenport.
Source: http://www.tehrantimes.com
September 18th, 2007
by Adrian Batten
In Bali today, at the height of the tourist season with visitors flooding back into the island, you’d be hard pushed to buy a bottle of half-decent wine. By mistake or design, the authorities have decreed that all imported wines on sale are illegal. Even newly opened French megastore Carrefour has hardly a bottle on its once-groaning shelves.
If that’s putting a dampener on the holiday season, try this on for size. It’s not just visitors and their favoured quaff but also the very roof over their heads that’s under threat. From August 30, over 250 rental-villa properties or over a third of the total could in theory be closed or even pulled down.
A recent report in Tempo, Indonesia’s top newsweekly, even estimated that 70 percent of villas for rent in Bali are operating illegally. In the regency of Badung, where most villa development is situated, only 253 of 711 villas are operating legally. Ismoyo Soemarlan, Chairman of the Bali Villa Association (BVA), puts the total even higher and says there are about 1,000 villa properties in Bali and of these, “the majority are operating without licences,” he asserts.
In May, A. A. Agung, the Regent of Badung, blew the whistle on illegal operators, giving them a grace period until August 29 to register for a fast-track legalisation process without penalisation under existing law. Some illegal villas would not qualify for exemption if, for example, they had been built in designated green zones and could still be pulled down even if they complied.
Clamping down
Visitors to Bali have a fast-growing appetite for villa accommodation, with Ismoyo estimating that 25% of all foreign visitors this year would stay in villas. This figure is expected to grow substantially in the next few years.
However, Made Subawa, Head of Government Tourism Service in Badung regency, told Tempo that illegal villas were causing large losses in tax revenue and his office was currently engaged in a “massive crackdown” to remedy this. According to him, tax revenues in 2006 should have amounted to US$28 million. He went on to say that he expected two to three registrations a day.
Few people in the industry believe it will come to that. Are they right to be so unconcerned? In the past, crackdowns of various kinds have come and gone in Indonesia. This time, however, villa developers and owners might do well to think carefully.
“Don’t dismiss it. It’s a relatively easy thing to go online and see who’s renting out villas, and they could actually do it,” warns Jack Daniels, owner of Bali Discovery Tours, a leading in-bound operator who publishes the online Bali Discovery newsletter.
“There are a number of aspects to this,” Daniels adds. “Competition: is it fair to those who do comply? The significant tax revenue lost, which Bali badly needs. And then there’s security. It’s hard to monitor potential terrorists if they’re holed up in a private, unregistered villa and owners don’t register identity details with the police as required. Then there’s the greater question of what this unregulated villa free-for-all means for Bali’s future? That’s a question that’s increasingly tabled.”
Helping hand
The founders of the Bali Villa Association (BVA), established in May 2006, are quick to assure villa owners and prospective members that the organisation is not there to add to the problems but to assist in the registration and legalisation of commercial villas.
Only fully legal villas will be admitted into the association and prospective members falling short of the minimum legal requirements will be assisted in the application and fulfilment process. To this end the BVA has called on the provincial government to clarify the rules and regulations affecting villa operations.
That sounds all well and good, but there’s a snag. The implication is that if you join the BVA, or some organisation like it, the regulations will be eased in various ways to allow ‘latecomer’ villa owners to comply. That could be how it pans out, but don’t bet on it.
The established larger villa developers and the owners of the five-star hotel properties, many of whom now run villa estates alongside their standard hotel operations, who have complied and who have complained about unfair competition, may well baulk at any significant easing of the rules at their expense.
Meanwhile, next year is Visit Indonesia Year 2008 and tourism officials have targeted 7 million visitors for Bali in 2009. The current figure is a little over a million. In the unlikely event that such a questionable aspiration is realised, where are they going to stay?
The last word goes to a nameless industry cynic who says: “We’ve seen it all before. A few examples will be made. But the fact is, Bali property is undervalued and there’s a good four-year catch-up period. Things are looking good. Crackdowns come and go, and regulations are unclear. So, what’s new? We shall muddle through.” And those who know where to look can still get a bottle of Grand Cru to toast the good times.
Source: http://www.property-report.com
September 17th, 2007
NUSA DUA, Indonesia - Lindsay Davenport disposed off fellow American Julie Ditty 6-1 6-4 Thursday to line up a quarterfinal clash with top seed Jelena Jankovic at the Bali Open tennis tournament.
The 31-year old Davenport was erratic at times against an opponent who offered little threat after building a 5-2 lead in the second set but failing to serve out the match at her first opportunity.
After dropping her serve at 5-3, she broke Ditty for the sixth time to set up a meeting with one of the hottest players on the tour this year.
“Its a great position for me to be in,” said Davenport. “She’s obviously had a great year. This is what I came back to do, to play some matches and try to play some good players, so I’m excited about it.”
“I don’t know what to expect… to be honest it probably is a bit soon to play somebody at the very top. Its a great challenge and I know I can play well. I just don’t know how well.”
Meanwhile, the world number three Jankovic of Serbia surrendered the first four games against Australian Casey Dellacqua, before producing a series of strong groundstrokes to lift herself to 6-4, 6-4, victory.
“I didn’t have good timing out there and I was making a lot of mistakes,” Jankovic said. “I was very erratic and didn’t play the way I wanted, but a win is a win.”
She put her poor performance down to not practicing for a few days following her run to the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
In other matches, 3rd seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland served for victory over Romanian qualifier Sorana Cirstea but was beaten 6-2 5-7 7-5, and fourth seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues lost a three hour battle with Sara Errani of Italy, falling 7-5 4-6 6-4.
Source: http://www.iht.com
September 17th, 2007
Anne Van Borselen was born 70 years ago in Surabaya, into a family of painters. On her mother’s side, Anne descends from Imeria Sunassa - famous Indonesian artist. On her father’s side, her great-great grandfather, J.W. Van Borselen (1825-1892), was the landscape painter of Holland’s King William III.
Inspired by her artistic roots, Anne studied art in The Royal Academy of Art in The Hague and Rotterdam. A life-long artist, her first precocious interest in drawing expressed itself at the tender age of five when she used charcoal to create drawings on her mother’s otherwise pristine walls. Undeterred, her parents persevered and sent Anne to art school.
An entire lifetime later, Ann Van Borselen’s work has been the subject of numerous exhibitions in Europe and Indonesia as well as private commissions for businesses and public spaces throughout The Netherlands.
Painting on canvas, rice paper and panels, in mixed techniques employing acrylics, gouache, oil or ink in classic or abstract style, Anne also makes sculptures in bronze, stone and fibre. And, when in residence at Bali’s famed Jenggala Ceramics, Anne paints works in ceramics and table wares.
Capable of maximizing effects of the limited choice of acrylic colors she puts on canvas, Anne uses gray, white, brown and black represents modesty in her artwork. “My paintings can be there or not there”, Anne said, suggesting what she calls a transparent existence of artwork. A beautiful painting does not have to be bright and busy to call for attention, Anne explained, pointing to pre-historic paintings found in the French caves of Lascaux. In other works a choice of carmine red, pink and orange is combined with gray with striking effect.
In her ceramic pieces, Anne uses a wider range of color variations. A brilliant selection of bold colors has made her ceramic artwork beautifully eye-catching. The Renaissance maestros Angelo and Da Vinci have influence on Anne’s chubby faces and voluptuous human figures. Whereas some of her abstract forms are inspired by Picasso, who Anne believes is a great master of human anatomy. Her abstract forms and figures gives the viewer the freedom to make their own interpretation of the artwork.
‘Theater’ ” at Jenggala Ceramics
In her latest exhibition at Jenggala titled ‘Theater’, Anne conveys various stories of human figures. Life is a theater; and every individual is a director for their own life. There are good and bad, war and peace, drama and happiness.
Jenggala Art Gallery is proud to present ‘Theater’, an exhibition of paintings and ceramics by Anne Van Borselen open daily from September 14 ” December 7, 2007.
For more information call ++62-(0)361-703311.
Source: www.balidiscovery.com
September 14th, 2007
DENPASAR: Al Purwa, the chairman of the Association of Indonesian Travel Agents (ASITA) in Bali, on Tuesday appointed members of the executive committee of Privet Bali, an association for travel agents targeting Russian visitors.
They are Nuku Kamka (chairman), Tanto Ruwiyadi (vice chairman), Asekan (secretary), Esti Rahayu Utami (treasurer), Iwan Taruna (ethics officer) and Gleb Glotov (public relations officer).
Aimed at increasing the number of Russian visitors to Indonesia, Privet Bali was established in a Sept. 1 meeting attended by the representatives of 17 travel agents.
“It will also act as a training institution to develop the skills and capabilities of local guides in providing professional, culturally sensitive services to Russian tourists,” Privet Bali chairman Nuku Kamka said. – JP
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com
September 13th, 2007
The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali has successfully hosted another Heavenly Party for top international tennis players participating in the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic. This exclusive event began with a rejuvenating surfing lesson for seven of the players by Surfer Girl’s official instructor John Preston at The Westin beach. Players joining the lesson were Patty Schynder (Switzerland), Chrissie Seredni (USA), Kim Kilsdonk (Holland), Annet Soleman (Holland), Whitney Jones (USA), as well as Hana Sromova (Czechoslovakia). In an interview immediately following the lesson, players mentioned that they enjoyed learning the basics of surfing lesson and would like to one day further the experience.
“We wanted to treat these international players to a relaxing luncheon with unique twist as well as chill out time to enjoy the lovely Nusa Dua Beach before the tournament started. We hope that they had a memorable experience during their time on the island of Bali,” commented Jan Bundgaard, General Manager of The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali.
Other interesting activities during this event was the arrival of some players riding on Harley Davidson motorcycles courtesy of Bali’s Harley Davidson Club and a nurturing spa corner for a relaxing Westin neck and shoulder massage. In addition there was the ‘Express Your Feelings Corner’, where well-known Balinese painter Dana provided canvas space for the players to artistically express themselves. Lastly there was a presentation of certificates signed by Lindsay Davenport to the winners of The Westin Bali Annual Tennis Tournament for UNICEF ‘Check Out For Children’ Program, which during 2006 The Westin Bali managed to raise US$10,000. Tami Grende won the tournament this year in the 11 to 14 yrs singles category and Komang Gede Yudhi Maharsajaya in the 6 to 10 yrs singles category.
The UNICEF Check Out for Children Challenge is an annual fundraising challenge among staff at Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Each year the challenge goes from strength to strength and this year the fundraising target for the Asia Pacific region is US$90,000.
Funds raised by The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali will assist UNICEF to immunize thousands of children in the Asia Pacific region. More than 30,000 children die every day, mostly from preventable diseases. Thanks to StarwoodHotels efforts in 2006, UNICEF has worked to immunize vulnerable children in Myanmar, Mongolia and Bangladesh.
Source: http://www.etravelblackboardasia.com
September 13th, 2007
Anantara Resorts is set to open a luxurious boutique property on a prime beachfront location in the chic resort area of Seminyak, Bali. Anantara Resort Seminyak, with a total of just 59 luxurious suites, is a comfortable 30 minute drive from the international airport and is scheduled to open on December 15th this year.
Designed to complement the breathtaking panorama of the Indian Ocean, Anantara Resort Seminyak will reflect the lifestyle and culture of the stylish surrounds of Seminyak. The design of the 59 all-suite resort is contemporary, using extensive glass panelling to bring the vast waterscape of Seminyak Beach into the interiors and emphasize a natural ambience and fluidity with nature.
Under the esteemed architectural vision of Anthony Liu, whose firm TonTon is renowned for its innovative tropical designs such as the Bale Resort in Nusa Dua, Anantara Resort Seminyak is poised to raise the benchmark for luxury accommodation. The resort is just a short stroll from the glamorous hub of Seminyak with its hip designer ateliers and cosmopolitan dining nightlife.
Each spacious suite in the five-story resort, all with an average of 70 to 80 sq metres, has an ocean view which accentuates a breezy and relaxed atmosphere. Anantara Resort Seminyak affords every modern convenience expected by luxury travellers, whilst ensuring absolute serenity in one of the world’s top island destinations.
To further indulge in the beautiful surrounds, the resort has a stylish rooftop bar with languorous settees and oversized cushions available for guests to “chill out” and soak in the famous Balinese sunsets. Serving up new world and Asian fare, and overlooking the wide expanses of beach below, the rooftop is set to be one of Bali’s premier entertainment and dining venues.
The Thai restaurant in the lobby level of the hotel will also offer an impressive mix of traditional Thai and contemporary fusion-styled dishes, inspired by the four main provinces of Thailand. Transforming from a daily breakfast venue into an ambient-lit dinner venue, the restaurant is punctuated with exquisite local and Thai object d’art.
Further features at the boutique resort include an infinity-edge pool overlooking the ocean vista, a first-class fitness facility and Bali’s first Anantara Spa, Asia’s foremost. Using Balinese design and décor, the Anantara Spa’s earthen tone interiors will contrast with the calming seascape exterior to reflect the harmony and interdependence of land and water. Consisting of four doubles suites and eight treatment beds, each spa room is equipped with private Jacuzzi and ocean views.
Anantara is taken from an ancient Sanskrit word that means ‘borderless water’, a name chosen for this element’s association in many Asian cultures with wealth and good fortune. Inspired by local architecture and sensitive to the indigenous culture, Anantara Resorts are currently located in the seaside town of Hua Hin (220kms south of Bangkok), on Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand and in the Golden Triangle in the country’s north.
In the world-renowned destination of the Maldives, Anantara Resort Maldives is a 30 minute boat ride from the capital Male. The newest member of the Anantara family, Anantara Resort Seminyak, will open at the end of 2007 in this most fashionable district of Bali – the Island of the Gods.
Source: http://www.easier.com
September 13th, 2007
One could have been mistaken that there was a Taxi Convention being held at the Bali Dynasty on the 28th and 29th August, 2007 as Taxi’s lined the driveway leading to the Bali Dynasty Resorts famous Gracie Kelly’s Irish Pub
What really happened was that Taxi drivers were invited to come to Gracie Kelly’s to view the Irish Pub so that they had better knowledge of the location and facilities so that they could answer the many enquiries that they were receiving from their guests wanting to know how to get to Gracie Kelly’s Irish Pub and what the pub had to offer to guests who were not residents of the Bali Dynasty Resort.
To better educate the Taxi drivers they were invited to visit Gracie Kelly’s to talk with the staff and to visually see this unique Irish Pub. Around 300 drivers attended and for many it was the first time they had seen an authentic Irish Pub. All Drivers were given a lunch box and drink as well as books of discount vouchers which they are now distributing to their own customers.
Gracie Kelly’s is located at the Lower Lobby of Bali Dynasty Resort at Jl. Kartika.
Voted 2005 and 2006 as the Best Pub in Bali by Hello Bali Magazine.
Gracie Kelly’s is open for lunch and dinner, Gracie Kelly’s has nightly entertainment with Rais Paddies band that combine authentic Irish music with other popular western sounds. There are also live sports and big game matches shown on the big screen to satisfy the sports lovers and a great Quiz Night every Tuesday and Thursday night.
The menu is affordable and offers traditional home cooked meals including Beef and Guinness pie, Cork Chicken and Mushroom Pie, Fish and Chips and many other favourites. There is a good range of beers including Kilkenny and Guinness as well as all the favourite cocktails.
Prime Plaza Hotels & Resorts is an International standard hotel group consisting of the Plaza and Dynasty brands, who provide leisure, corporate and meeting facilities of the highest quality in a range of convenient locations in Indonesia. From enjoyable and relaxing resort accommodation to efficient business hotels, Prime Plaza Hotels & Resorts are the “The Signature of Indonesian Hospitality”
Source: http://www.etravelblackboard.com
September 10th, 2007
Denpasar (ANTARA News) - Bali is to host this year`s PATA (Pacific Air Travel Association) Travel Mart in the Nusa Dua resort from September 25-28, the organizing committee`s spokesperson Ika Nazaruddin said here on Saturday.
She said the momentous travel event was to be attended by around 1,500 participants from 54 countries and would thus be a golden opportunity for tourism businesspeople in Bali.
She said this year`s PATA Travel Mart, to be conducted in cooperation with Indonesia`s Culture and Tourism Ministry, would bring relief to the tourism businesspeople in the midst of listlessness due to the travel advisories issued by several countries and the flight ban to Europe imposed on Indonesian air carriers.
She said tourism business people could take advantage of this event because a variety of products and tourism-related services had been well prepared to be brought along to the market.
Meanwhile, Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said more than 423 buyers from 49 countries, as well as 262 of 113 companies in Indonesia, would rake part in the annual event.
He said three new buyers , namely Fiji, Slovakia and Turkey, would also be represented.
The annual meeting in Bali is expected to improve Indonesia`s image in the international community and to encourage more foreign tourists to visit the Indonesian resort island. (*)
Source: http://www.antara.co.id
September 10th, 2007
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