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More holiday-makers heading to Indonesia’s resort island of Bali boosted overall tourist arrivals by 12.22 per cent in the first half of 2007 compared to last year, according to data released Wednesday.
The number of foreign tourists heading to Indonesia climbed to 2.14 million in the first six months of the year, official figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics showed.
Visitors coming through Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport rose 33.7 percent to 781,059, while the number of tourists passing through Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport dropped 1.9 percent to 554,086.
The spike in arrivals signals a rebound for the resort island’s tourism industry, which has suffered in recent years amid security concerns.
For the month of June, overall arrivals through Indonesia’s 15 entry points rose to 411,264, up 12 percent from 366,137 in May, the bureau said.
AFP
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
August 5th, 2007
JAKARTA - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will hold talks with Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Friday in Bali in an effort to further strengthen ties between the two countries.
Aside from discussing ways to improve cooperation in various sectors, the two leaders would discuss regional and global issues of mutual concern, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Kristiarto Soeryo Legowo said.
“After a joint declaration on a strategic partnership in April 2005, Indonesia-Australia relations have expanded rapidly. Basically, this meeting will aim to establish wider cooperation on these already solid relations,” Kristiarto was quoted Thursday by English daily The Jakarta Post as saying.
Kristiarto said Yudhoyono, currently on a state visit to South Korea, would fly directly from Seoul to Denpasar on Thursday.
Australia and Indonesia currently enjoy close relations in the economic, political and defense sectors.
Political and defense relations between Indonesia and Australia were dramatically improved last year after a defense treaty was signed in Lombok, formally recognizing Indonesia’s territorial integrity, including over Papua.
KN Staff Reporter
Source: Kerala News
July 27th, 2007
Bali, the lush Indonesian island famous for its sun- kissed beaches, is drawing tourists in droves, and travel warnings that Islamic militants might strike again has done little to dampen the spirit.
Almost five years after 202 people were killed in the bombing of a Bali nightclub, tourists are back enjoying the island’s nightlife and soaking up the sun on Bali’s palm-fringed beaches.
“That was a sad event but Bali is too beautiful to resist. The place is bouncing back,” said 23-year-old Australian Josh Donnelly as he walked past the now razed Sari Club, which was blown up in the 2002 bombing.
After the attack, Bali suffered a dramatic slump in tourism and locals such as taxi driver Gede Widiada found they could barely make ends meet.
“I have been selling my wife’s jewelry in the past four years to run my family. But my income now is much better,” said the taxi driver as he waited for tourists outside a resort.
Like Widiada, many shops, restaurants, and hotels on this island are finally seeing their fortunes revived.
Dubbed the “Island of Gods” for its myriad Hindu temples and religious rituals, Bali suffered another blow in 2005 when suicide bombers blew themselves up at three restaurants, killing 20 people.
The attacks in 2002 and 2005, aimed at Western targets, killed a total of 92 Australians.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued an upgraded travel advisory on July 8, warning Australians that terrorists were actively planning attacks, including on Bali.
But despite these warnings, Australians, who make up more than 15 percent of the total foreign tourist arrivals in Bali, are flocking to one of their favorite destinations.
“I am not afraid of coming back to Bali. You could die in a road accident tomorrow,” said Donnelly.
Indonesian police say the security situation in the country at the moment is favorable.
Tourism in Bali, a predominantly Hindu region in Muslim Indonesia, provides a livelihood for 70 percent of the three million residents.
Shops selling batik clothing, carvings and silverware near the famous Kuta beach report increased sales this year, although they still have not reach pre- 2002 levels.
“We have probably reached just 60 or 70 percent of that level. Two years ago, it was just 30-40 percent,” said Tina, an assistant at a shop selling paintings to tourists.
But middle-aged women providing foot and shoulder massages on Kuta beach still curse the bombers.
Bagus Sudibya, an adviser at the Bali Tourism Board, said the industry and the government had jointly spent nearly US$10 million (HK$78 million) since last year to revive tourism on the island.
The island saw a 34 percent jump in foreign tourist arrivals in the first five months of 2007 compared to the same period last year. Tourism figures show the average hotel occupancy in Bali so far in July is between 70 and 90 percent, compared with 50-70 percent in July 2006.
“It’s the holiday season now and it’s nice to see that our rooms are fully occupied,” said Made Kardana, resort assistant manager at Intercontinental Bali Resort.
Bali will also host the high-profile Kyoto Protocol meeting in December, which will boost arrivals this year.
Last month Indonesian police arrested two alleged Jemaah Islamiyah leaders. One of them is Abu Dujana, who admitted to heading a military wing of the network and is suspected by police of being involved in the first Bali bombing, among other attacks. “There is stepped-up security everywhere in Bali and the arrest of militants will also add to the region’s confidence,” Sudibya added.
By Sambit Mohanty
Source: The Standard
July 21st, 2007
The seductive island of Bali has struggled for tourists in recent years. Antony Phillips suggests you give it a second chance.
Pity the Balinese - they have done little to deserve their fate. It’s hard to imagine a more peaceful people, or such a naturally blessed island as theirs, yet they have suffered sorely in the wake of the bombings of October 2005.
The Balinese smile through these tough times, taking comfort from their mix of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs, a living religion you see signs of at every turn on this island of the gods.
Bali desperately wants our tourist dollars, but what are New Zealanders to do when our Government advises against travelling there? Everyone must make their own decision but I willingly returned to Bali this year, telling myself that no travel is completely without risk.
Is visiting Bali really any less safe than holidaying in Fiji (now into coup d’etat number four), visiting London (Paddington Station was bombed in the same year as Bali), or heading to New York City (still officially at a “high risk’ of terrorist attack)? I saw little evidence to suggest it is.
The trick is to take commonsense precautions to minimise your risk. Book your Bali holiday with a reputable group such as Club Med, which offers secure accommodation, avoid tourist traps like Kuta, be vigilant on public transport, be respectful of local customs.
CLUB MED: Just 20 minutes’ drive from the airport, Club Med is at Nusa Dua, a secure resort area which was once the exclusive preserve of the well-heeled. These days, they’re offering such affordable, all-inclusive deals that Nusa Dua is well within reach of most tourists. You could happily enjoy a week of luxury living without leaving the splendid Balinese architecture and gardens of the resort but it is also easy to get into the beautiful hinterland and explore. Club Med packages include all your meals from the resort’s gourmet buffet, all your drinks at a full open bar and most activities on-site.
ACTIVITIES: In Bali, you have to hit the water and with the Java Sea lapping on to the long beach at Nusa Dua, you’re in the right spot. Club Med packages include boat trips to go snorkelling in the tropical water, windsurfing lessons and kayaking, or you could just opt for a swim at the beach or pool. On land, there’s the famous flying trapeze, archery, tennis, yoga, golf, beach volleyball, fitness classes and the Club Med Spa. Or some days you can’t beat relaxing outside your bungalow with a good book and soaking up the scent of Bali. Kids can be left in the tender care of Petit Club Med!
EXPLORE: Get into the hinterland to see village festivals and the island’s steep valleys of cultivated rice terraces. These shimmering, green valleys are a famous feature of the island, inspiring writers and artists alike. Ubud is the cultural heart of Bali, and a visit to its art and craft markets and temples is highly recommended. While you’re there, enjoy a delicately spiced Balinese meal at the Lotus Flower Garden Cafe looking across a peaceful pond to the Royal Palace. Or be bold and visit the monkey forest - just remember to take your sunglasses off first.
RIDE AN ELEPHANT: North of Ubud, at Taro, is the Elephant Safari Park, home to 27 magnificent Sumatran elephants. There is a short “show” of sorts but the elephants in this conservation park are not trained to do circus tricks. The real reason to visit is to see how these refugees of rampant deforestation are being cared for and to ride an elephant. We had 30 magical minutes on the back of Ola, a 25-year-old female, walking through plantations surrounding the 2.5ha park.
THE MARKETS: There are craft, clothing and jewellery markets within 10 minutes walk of Club Med. Spending a few Indonesian rupiah (NZ$1 equals 6800 rupiah) at the markets is a great way to inject money directly to Balinese families. Most of the stallholders, selling everything from earrings to T-shirts, are mums. Haggle fairly, don’t try to rip them off, and take time to chat.
By Antony Phillips
Source: New Zealand Herald
June 19th, 2007
Be careful when you challenge someone to a who-stayed-at-the-best-hotel contest, because anyone who has stayed at the Bvlgari Resort in Bali will win, hands down.
It’s been open only nine months, but the Bvlgari Resort - owned by the Italian luxury goods maker of the same name and perched on a 160-metre cliff on the southernmost tip of Bali - is the hottest newcomer on a scrap of land where hotels are opening faster than the production of fake Gucci sunglasses.
The Bvlgari Resort is about 20 kilometres from the organisational disaster of Denpasar airport, and on another planet to the Aussie mating calls of “Oi! Oi! Oi!” that ring out through the ghetto that is Kuta.
Many visitors to Bali will know its neighbour, Pura Luhur, one of the island’s most important Hindu sites, where the first temples date from the 11th century. Here at Uluwatu, there’s also another form of religion, the cult of surfing, with some of the longest left-hand breaks in Bali.
Now, down to brass tacks, as we ask the hard-hitting questions: why the ‘v’ in Bvlgari? Is it just to confuse us? Is there a special pronunciation that marks those in the know from the great unwashed and unperfumed?
The official answer is no, it’s just the Latin typeface the Italian brand uses to imprint its ethnicity (hence the common spelling of Bulgari).
The hotel is a blend of traditional Balinese architecture and Italian design - so bedrooms are open-air pavilions set with deep, jump-on-me beds, and the spa is a 75-year-old, handcarved teak “women’s house” brought across from the neighbouring island of Java.
There are more pools than you can poke an incense stick at. For a start, every one of the 59 villas has its own plunge pool. Then there are infinity pools around the bar and restaurant, and the Bvlgari villa has its own 20-metre strip of water.
There are indoor showers, outdoor showers, bathrooms as big as the bedrooms and a glass elevator to take you down to the hotel’s private beach club, resplendent with deckchairs and bar.
With a moment’s planning you could spend your entire stay submerged in a shimmering plane of water. Beautifully scented water, of course, this being Bvlgari. White orchids are grafted onto pink flowering frangipanis, statues mark the entrances and tiny spirit offerings of flowers and biscuits are placed everywhere by the Balinese staff.
It’s all so effortlessly beautiful - until you consider it took 1000 workers three years to build.
It’s a mark of beautiful Bali that my spa treatment room, with its blocks of warm sandstone and timber floors, doesn’t have a window. No glass or rear wall, either - there are just a few colourful tropical plants, two white billowing curtains and then that vista - the eye-popping, floor-to-ceiling view of nothing but the big, blue Indian Ocean.
For the next 90 minutes, I’ll be salted, oiled and scrubbed, then washed down and massaged by not one, but two pairs of hands. Hot volcanic rocks will slide along skin slick with scented unguents while my therapist, Hendra, covers and uncovers the different sections of me as she softly whispers the language we love, the language of luxury.
“Would you like the calming or the reviving scent?”
“Reviving, please,” I respond faintly, already slipping away.
“Is the pressure to your liking?” “Why certainly,” I slur.
“May I massage your head?”
“Whatever it takes, Hendra. Whatever it takes.”
When she leads me back to the relaxation area at the end of the treatment, I’m done for. Bones are jellied, muscles refusing to acknowledge the brain’s demands. It’s so serene that nobody’s smiling . . . that would take unnecessary effort. We look like a row of zombies, swathed in our dressing gowns . I’m so relaxed that I pass out. What woke me? A little snore, mouth open, perhaps? How un-Bvlgari.
Or it could have been the person delivering the hot tea and the tiny plate of rice paper rolls, one injected with a hint of wasabi that helps pull me out of my scented stupor.
With a starting price of $US1350 a day, it’s a fair question to ask who, if anyone, stays here? This day it was filled with tall, beautiful, ethereal young Japanese couples swapping smog for sandalwood.
If you can afford to stay, good luck to you. If you can’t (or it’s booked out), then turn your nose up at the newly spawned, already tawdry day spas, book a driver, block out three hours in your life’s diary and spa your way to nirvana.
The writer was a guest of the Bvlgari Bali Resort.
TRIP NOTES
The Bvlgari Bali hotel costs from $US1350 ($NZ1793) for a one-bedroom ocean cliff villa up to $US5000 ($NZ6645) in the Bvlgari villa. Phone +6236 1847 1000, see http://www.bulgarihotels.com.
The spa is open to non-residents, with treatments priced from 480,000 rupiah ($NZ71) for a full body salt and oil scrub up to the unforgettable double Bvlgari Royal Lulur for two, a three-hour treatment which costs 8,950,000 rupiah ($NZ1312).
Pura Luhur Ulu Watu temple is open 8am-7pm daily and costs 3000 rupiah ($NZ0.44) for admission.
By BELINDA JACKSON - Sun-Herald
Source: stuff.co.nz
June 17th, 2007
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