Archive for December, 2007
Wasti Atmodjo, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
Travel agents are predicting a rosy year for Bali’s tourism industry.
The chairman of the Bali chapter of the Association of Indonesia Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA), Al Purwa, said the number of tourist arrivals is expected to reach two million next year.
He said tourism has started to recover from terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2005. More than 1.5 million tourists have spent their holidays in Bali from January to November this year.
With most hotels reporting high occupancy rates in December, he estimated the number of arriving tourists this year could be as high as 1.7 million.
“I’ve predicted a booming tourism business this year and it turns out that I’m right,” said Al Purwa, who is also the honorary Dutch consul in Bali.
“Considering the present situation, which will hopefully remain good for some time to come, I am becoming more optimistic that the number of tourist arrivals can reach two million people or even more next year.”
He attributed the trend to better tourism infrastructure and services as well as improved security.
He said Bali’s airport had become more comfortable, although it still did not equal Singapore’s, while the visa-on-arrival policy had helped increase the number of visitors.
He also attributed the surge of arrivals to the promotion of inexpensive lodging in Bali following the bombings.
He said all accommodation rates were back to normal, however, since this year’s Idul Fitri celebrations.
“This December alone, all hotels and travel agencies are busy. Rooms were not only booked but paid for a month ago,” Al Purwa said.
The head of the Cinta Bali association of local travel agencies, Hadi Soetrisno, confirmed that the prices of accommodation had risen from December to January.
“The increase ranges from 50 percent to those who have doubled their prices,” he said.
He attributed the trend to the government’s policy of allowing joint leave to celebrate thisIdul Adha and Christmas holidays.
Hadi, who runs Dwidaya Tour travel agency, said local areas like Jakarta, Medan in North Sumatra, Surabaya in East Java and Balikpapan in East Kalimantan are among potential markets for Bali.
He added that Cinta Bali, which represents 50 agencies, would work to bring more local tourists to Bali, and expected to get a boost from the opening of direct flights from several towns to the island.
Iwan Taruna of the Visi Tour agency, which markets to Russian tourists, struck a similarly positive note.
He said there had been a 68 percent increase in Russian tourist arrivals this December compared to last year.
Most of the Russian tourists, he said, were staying between 10 and 15 days, with each spending an average of US$240 a day in addition to accommodation.
He said many Russian tourists who previously preferred to stay in the Nusa Dua area had slowly moved to Bali’s cultural hub, Ubud.
Iwan, who is also a coordinator for the Russian travel agency Privete, attributed the increase to direct once-a-week flights from Moscow to Bali.
He said in response to increased interest, the flights had been increased to three times a week from Dec. 26 to Jan. 15.
“So far, the flights are fully booked,” Iwan said. “Russians usually have a longer year-end holiday, from Dec. 28 to mid-January next year, allowing them to spend longer in Bali.”
He said Russian travelers also flock to the island from the end of April to mid-May every year.
Al Purwa said the increased arrivals were coming from other countries too. Besides Europe, more tourists are expected to come to Bali from Australia, Japan and the Middle East.
He advised tourism operators to consider raising their rates in January. “Wedirectly offer high rates like in Singapore, where five-star hotels charge double or triple the rates of Bali hotels. But increases should be introduced step by step,” he said.
Source: The Jakarta Post
December 28th, 2007
Publication Date：12/27/2007 Section：Commentary
By TJ editor
The United Nations conference on climate change ended Dec. 14 on the resort island of Bali, Indonesia, with the adoption of the Bali Roadmap to replace the Kyoto Protocol that is set to expire in 2012.
Over 10,000 participants from more than 190 countries attended the meeting. It was the first time Bali had hosted an event on such a scale, which is highly significant considering the tragic event that occurred on the island five years ago.
In 2002, Bali was the target of a terrorist attack that killed more than 200 people. The selection of Bali as the venue undoubtedly signifies that Indonesia has made substantial progress in rooting out Muslim extremists from the country’s sprawling archipelago. Hosting the conference should help restore confidence in the island as a tourist destination, and also show the world how concerned Indonesia is with global issues.
The failure of the non-binding Kyoto Protocol to bring nations together shows that global climate change is a complex issue without an easy solution. The protocol has been rendered toothless because very little common ground has been found between developed and developing countries, regarding the establishment of a unanimous agenda for dealing with the problem of greenhouse-gas emissions.
It was therefore prudent–a long time before the Kyoto Protocol becomes history–for the United Nations to sponsor December’s meeting to combat the issues at stake before it is too late. The Bali convention provided experts with an opportunity to examine some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Kyoto Protocol, to evaluate new research findings and proposals, and, ultimately, to endorse the Bali Roadmap.
The meeting highlighted the need to link climate change with economic growth and poverty in developing countries–a crucial dilemma because emerging nations are some of the main victims of global warming. The conference also developed a program for the reduction of carbon emissions in developed economies and curtailing deforestation in developing nations.
A major triumph was the United States–the world’s biggest polluter–finally indicating its willingness to contribute in efforts to save the planet from further harm. In short, flexibility and compromise made the Bali Roadmap a reality.
As part of the international community, Taiwan looks forward to making the Earth greener and more habitable for the world’s citizens. More importantly, the government has set out to reduce Taiwan’s annual carbon-dioxide emission rate to 2000’s level by 2025.
Source: http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/
December 28th, 2007
20 December 2007 – Bali – After achieving Bronze in 2004 and Silver in 2005, Alila Manggis has been rewarded for its ongoing commitment to responsible tourism with the Gold medal in Bali’s Tri Hita Karana Tourism Awards this year.
The awards were created to give recognition to tourism enterprises that accomplish excellence in being environmentally friendly, socially acceptable and most importantly, supporting practices based on the spiritual life of the locals. This prestigious award recognises Alila Manggis’ consistent efforts to maintain the balance prescribed by Bali’s ancient concept of Tri Hita Karana – a balanced relationship between man and God, man and fellow man, and between man and the environment. Today, the Tri Hita Karana Tourism Awards are internationally recognised by the World Tourism Organisation as a leader in environmentally friendly tourism standards.
Responsible tourism at Alila is all-encompassing, and Alila Manggis’ gold achievement reflects best practice results in a number of areas. One of the most notable efforts is the hotel’s organic garden, which represents environmental as well as social sustainability. The organic garden is not only a relaxing setting for the guests to enjoy but also serves as a learning centre for the community. Together with a local NGO, International Development of Education and Permaculture (www.idepfoundation.org), Alila Manggis shares knowledge of organic farming with its local East Bali communities and farmers. Furthermore, the garden allows the resort to actively participate in and contribute to the local traditional irrigation organisation known as subak.
Earlier this year, in order to preserve Bali’s rare plantations, the team at Alila Manggis also started planting a number of ceremonial trees around the hotel grounds. This programme aims to educate and introduce the staff and guests to the plantations that are native to the island. Besides maintaining the natural landscape, the trees will some day generate an economic value from their use.
Over the years, Alila Manggis has been consistent in its reduction of water and electricity consumption as well as community contribution by employing 85% of its staff from within 20km of the resort and in its extensive training of all employees. Other environmental goals include reducing its paper consumption by 50% in 2007 and gradually changing all of its paper usage to 100% recycled paper. The hotel also encourages its travel partners to switch from fax to electronic mail to reduce paper consumption.
General Manager Jork Bosselaar said, “We are very thrilled to receive this special award because it conveys Bali’s own approach to sustainable tourism. This achievement is a wonderful reward for the effort and dedication of the Green Team at Alila Manggis who have strived for spiritual harmony with the community, the staff and the village. “
For Alila Manggis, this gold award is its third ‘green’ achievement during 2007. In April, together with its sister hotel, Alila Ubud, it accomplished the prestigious Green Globe Certified status under the global certification programme (www.greenglobe.org). And in August, Alila Manggis was named among the top ten eco-friendly hotels in Asia in a list compiled by Agoda.com, an independent online travel company that serves a worldwide audience.
Source: http://www.etravelblackboardasia.com/
December 27th, 2007
JAKARTA: Denpasar municipality is set to launch a program called Sightseeing Denpasar 2008, to attract tourists to visit Bali’s capital.
“The program will officially be launched by Mayor Anak Agung Puspayoga on Dec. 29,” Denpasar administration spokesman Made Erwin Suryadarma told Antara on Tuesday.
Tourists visiting the city on the day would be invited to visit tourism objects in the city, he said.
Made said city administration would prepare special cars at certain points in the city and take along those interested in joining the program.
“Among the tourist spots will be traditional markets, bird markets, temples and museums,” he said. — JP
Source: The Jakarta Post
December 27th, 2007
DENPASAR: The export of Balinese-style quake-resistance homes recorded US$5.8 million in sales between January and October this year, a sharp 446 percent increase from $1 million over the same period last year.
Bali’s Trade and Industry Office said the exports also recorded a sharp increase in volume, from 356 units to 30,667.
“Who would have expected knock-down houses to become a such a hot item for export to European countries, the U.S. and Australia?” said Made Suma, a marketer of Balinese-style homes in Denpasar.
He attributed the high sales to the wooden house’s unique character and easy set-up, as well as by the word-of-mouth promotion from tourists and various exhibitions.
The house is among the exhibits on display at the one-month-long Bali Art Festival in Denpasar Cultural Park, in the heart of Bali’s capital city. — JP
Source: The Jakarta Post
December 26th, 2007
Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
Bali hoteliers have gone straight back to work after hosting the climate change conference, as the holiday season has arrived.
In the high-end resort area of Nusa Dua, the Westin Resort, which hosted the two-week conference at its Bali International Convention Center, has prepared events and packages for the holidays.
“We have a number of events for Christmas and New Year’s, including a special event for children,” Westin Resort spokeswoman Rainata Tjoa said.
The “Westin Kids-Only Party” is a complimentary Christmas celebration for children staying with their parents at the resort. Non-hotel-guests wanting to give their children a treat can pay to join in.
Other hotels, such as Sanur’s Bali Hyatt and Nusa Dua’s Grand Hyatt, are also preparing Christmas parties to pamper children.
“Kids sometimes get bored when attending adults’ parties. That’s why we’re arranging a kids-only event to entertain them,” Rainata said.
For a religious Christmas Eve, both the Grand Hyatt and Bali Hyatt will be holding midnight mass.
At the popular tourist beach of Kuta, the Hard Rock Hotel has been fully booked, mostly by domestic tourists.
“This year for Christmas we are receiving a lot of local tourists, with people from Surabaya, Bandung and Jakarta making up 60 percent of the hotel’s guests,” said Hard Rock hotel spokeswoman Dewi Banowati, who added the hotel was throwing a “Triple X-Mas Bawl” on Christmas Eve.
Discovery Kartika Hotel is preparing a Christmas Eve buffet and a breakfast with Santa, said hotel spokeswoman Dewi Sinta.
She said there would also be a Christmas choir, and an Egyptian-theme party for New Year’s dubbed “One night with Nefertiti”.
“During this time of the year, usually guests book rooms three days prior. We estimate our hotel occupation rate will exceed 70 percent,” she said.
In Ubud, the Christmas celebration at the area’s largest hotel, Maya Ubud, will be Balinese in style, featuring royal court dancers and a gamelan orchestra performing the epic Ramayana.
Catering to Eastern European and Orthodox Christian guests, some hotels, including Westin Hotel and Nikko Hotel, are also preparing Christmas events in January.
“We have a number of guests from Russia, so we are trying to cater to their Christian celebrations in January,” said Nikko hotel spokesman Fretty W. Zahfitri.
Christmas is celebrated by Orthodox Christians on January 7.
Source: The Jakarta Post
December 26th, 2007
For travellers in need of some serious pampering and relaxation, Qantas Holidays (qantas.co.uk/holidays) has introduced a new 10-night trip to Bali for 2008, highlighting a selection of luxury 5* hotels located in the resorts of Benoa, Ubud and Seminyak.
This luxury trip begins with four nights at the stunning, yet secluded 5* Conrad Bali Resort & Spa located in Benoa Harbour and surrounded by lagoons with cascading waterfalls.
Next up is the mountainous region of Ubud, famous for its painters and sculptors. Here guests spend two nights at the 5* Alila Ubud resort which offers breathtaking views courtesy of its position on top of a gently terraced mountain.
The final part of the holiday is based in fashionable Seminyak with its great shopping, beautiful beach and diverse mix of restaurants and resorts. Guests spend four nights at the tranquil 5* Legian all-suite hotel which has direct access to the beach.
Price, based on two adults sharing and subject to availability, is valid from 8 April to 15 June 2008 and includes return flights with Qantas Airways, accommodation on a bed & breakfast basis and transfers.
Source: http://www.easier.com/
December 21st, 2007
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is launching its first “Academy of Football Excellence” in Asia on the resort island of Bali Indonesia. “The Minister of Culture and Tourism Republic of Indonesia, Ir. Jero Wacik, S.E. has initiated the idea of the first Real Madrid’s Football Academy (RMFA) in Asia to be opened in Canggu Club - Bali. The commencement of this Football Academy was supported by the Ambassador of Spain for Indonesia in the end of 2006.” This statement conveyed by Mr. Alan Solowiejczyk - The President Director of Real Sport (South East Asia) and reaffirm by Mr. Nugraha Besoes -The Secretary General of Indonesia Football Association (PSSI) at the RMFA Grand Opening on 16th December 2007 in Bali.
The Minister idea has been ensued by the Real Sports Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. by preparing final preparation steps for the first operational year of RMFA in Nusa Dua Resort Complex – Bali. Real Madrid Football Camp is the beginning act of RMFA programs in Asia which are intended to be held all across Indonesia regions during public school holidays. Attendance in this 10 month annual program is open to qualified students from Indonesia and across the Asia-Pacific region. During the first 2 weeks, students will participate in a training program under the guidance of coaching personnel assigned from the Club’s headquarters in Madrid and fully supported by Indonesia Football Association.
The goals of Real Madrid Football Academy as well as the Football Camp Program are:
1. To give an opportunity for talented young Indonesian footballer to undergo world class training and guidance from Real Madrid coaches.
2. Introduced Bali as the “future home for RMFA in Asia” particularly to Real Madrid coaches and football community across Asia in general.
3. Socializing “Corporate Social Responsibility” campaign together with PSSI by inviting prominent companies in Indonesia and across Asia in sponsoring world class training for the young talented football players of Indonesia, Asia and Australia by a special media package with a theme called “La Ruta del Corazon Blanco” (The Path of The White Heart).
The event was attended by Real Madrid Indonesia Representative, Mayor General Hendarji Supanji of Indonesia Sports Committee (KONI), Mr. Rahmat Ranuwijaya - former Indonesia Ambassador for Spain, Mr. Nugraha Besoes - the Secretary General of PSSI and other PSSI officials.
Source: http://my-indonesia.info/
December 21st, 2007
By Marwaan Macan-Markar
BALI, Indonesia, Dec 18 (IPS) - This resort island, better known for drawing foreign tourists due to its tropical splendour and its deep spiritual traditions, is poised to enter the vocabulary of another international set — the rapidly expanding global civil society movement.
Bali will soon join the ranks of places that have served as milestones in the world of activism, such as Seattle, in the United States, and Porto Alegre, in Brazil, for hosting the hugely contentious two-week international conference on climate change that just ended here.
The presence of Walden Bello at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC), held from Dec. 3 - 14, hinted at Bali’s emerging significance. For the 62-year-old Filipino had, till this month, stayed clear from the debates raging about a warming planet due to greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions, the major cause of climate change.
Bello’s central interests in almost 35 years of activism lay in combating dictatorships, opposing the economic policies of the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation, and protesting against United States -led military campaigns in Asia and the Middle East. The thin, slightly greying Bello, who heads Focus of the Global South, a Bangkok-based think tank, had consequently become a fixture among civil society activists drawn to campaigns against exploitation, injustice and the abuse of power.
So what has changed? Why have climate change policies attracted new faces like his to join the more regular crowd of activists from the traditional environmental groups like Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund at the Bali meeting?
‘’We are here because of the broadening character of the climate change crisis and the solutions being proposed at the Bali meeting,’’ Bello told IPS. ‘’It is no more about techno-fixes. It has become a global emergency for which issues such as trade, justice, equity and democracy have to be factored in. And that is where our strengths lie.’’
It was a view echoed by other non-governmental groups and think tanks known for their work in development, poverty alleviation and humanitarian assistance, such as the Third World Network, Action Aid, Oxfam and Via Campasina. They were prominent in the meetings on the consequences of climate change policy for the world’s poor that took place on the sidelines of the main Bali event, which had attracted ministers and government leaders from nearly 190 countries.
According to Bello, there were at least 100 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who have an interest in trade and justice issues out of the nearly 350 NGOs that participated in the UNCCC. ‘’Now there are more players in the arena, because we need to stop powerful governments and corporations trying to profit from the economic issues at stake,’’ he added. ‘’These are areas where the traditional climate change groups have not paid much attention.’’
The five major themes that came under scrutiny during the two-week meeting illustrated this shift in climate change politics. Only one of them — a blueprint to reduce GhG emissions through urgent mitigation policies — was limited to science and technology. Others touched on economic, social and development issues, having a direct bearing on the world’s poor, who, according to scientific reports, will bear the heaviest burden as the climate changes. They included an ‘Adaptation Fund,’ to finance programmes to help the poor in the developing world cope with dramatic changes in the environment.
Environmentalists who have long been involved in the shaping of climate change policies are welcoming the new alliances within the civil society organisations (CSOs) that were forged during the Bali conference. ‘’These new voices are welcome, since the classic environmental NGOs, like ours, have been focusing most of our attention on mitigation and in trying to reduce greenhouse gases,’’ says Michael Goo, climate legislative director, at the Natural Resources Defence Council, a Washington D.C.-based green lobby.
‘’Five years ago, adaptation was seen as a kind of dirty word among environmental NGOs. There was concern that adaptation was going to be used as an excuse to avoid mitigation,’’ he said here in an interview. ‘’But, there has clearly been a shift over the past few years in the climate change world.’’
Government officials from the developing world who were in Bali to draft a roadmap to deal with the future challenges of climate change also gained from the new CSOs who have stepped into the climate change arena. During the second week of the conference, activists from the global humanitarian agency Action Aid held a briefing with the Group of 77 and China, a bloc that represents 130 developing countries, to expand on the links between a warming planet and poverty.
‘’The analysis they presented to us at that meeting became very useful during the official negotiations here. It revealed the depth of inequity the poor would face from some of the solutions that were being discussed,’’ Pakistani ambassador Munir Akram, chairman of the G-77 and China group, told IPS on the last evening of the UNCCC. ‘’One case in point was the per capita emission levels between the developing and developed countries and also the difficulty developing countries will face in addressing poverty with sustainable development.’’
That meeting was to drive home the message that there was a ‘’missing perspective in the discussion,’’ said Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, regional policy coordinator for Asia at Action Aid. ‘’It can no more be limited to a discussion only about the environment. What we have in Bali are questions about politics and power, like the issues of trade and finance being taken up. That is why we are here.’’
His group used the meeting in Bali, which attracted some 11,000 people, to drum up support for a new perspective ‘’based on environmental justice.’’ ‘’There has to be a comprehensive approach, integrating climate change with the poor’s right to development,’’ said Rashed, who, like Bello, has long years as a political activist but was a first-timer at a climate change conference. ‘’We cannot be fence-sitters anymore.’’
Source: http://www.ipsnews.net/
December 19th, 2007
It’s a great honor for Bali to obtain a marvelous reliance as the end of 2007 approaches. As a world’s tourist destination, Bali hosts the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (UNCCC). This Conference will be attended by 2,000 official delegates from 189 country members of the United Nations with intense concerns for the environment. Without a doubt, this reliance does not only have political impact on the security of Bali, but also delivers economic impact where 7,600 hotel rooms in Nusa Dua have been fully reserved.
More importantly this is an opportunity for Bali to introduce its indigenous concepts to the international forum. For instance, the environmental concept of Balinese community is based on Tri Hita Karana. Therefore, environment in their perspective is not merely the tangible one (physical environment). However, they view the environment integrally, namely socially and spiritually as well as physically. In other words, the world environment will grow harmonious if a balance occurs among the physical (natural), social and spiritual environment. Suppose that if we do not pay great attention to one of those environments, we cannot expect to realize harmony. It’s the indigenous concept of Bali.
For that purpose, on Tuesday 4 December 2007 the presentation of the Tri Hita Karana Tourism Awards to hotels in Bali was held. Such awards were conferred on the hotels that have consistently implemented the Tri Hita Karana concept in their hotel management. Congratulations to the award recipients and Welcome to the Participants of UNCCC, 3-14 December 2007!
Source: http://www.bali-travelnews.com/
December 19th, 2007
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