Which is the best beach in Bali? We haven’t been before and want to get it right. We like nice sand and clear water of course, some palms if possible, but nothing actually deserted ­ a beach bar and somewhere to walk to lunch would be great. And not a huge drive from the airport please.

Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green responds: I’d say to avoid Kuta Beach, which is great fun for a day, but not for a week, and Nusa Dua, which in fencing out local people and culture from its enclave of hotels, has rather passed its sell by date.

So Sanur is the one for you. It’s a lovely stretch of white sand, with a mild surf, and a much more villagey atmosphere than its brasher cousins around Kuta. It seems sleepy at first, on first squint, and it¹s true that it doesn’t have the beach parties and surfie goings on of the western beaches, but it has some terrific hotels and restaurants, a more relaxed and less hassley ambiance, and walking along the pathway at the back of the beach is a real pleasure.

If you need a burst of Kuta it’s only five miles away, and easily reached by taxi ­ the airport is a little farther on past Kuta.

On the downside though, it is on the eastern side of southern Bali, so while it’s perfect for sunrise gazing, the sun sets behind tress and hotels. For something even quieter, and more secluded, you might try Candi Dasa beach.

It’s about 30 miles to the northeast. There are good hotels and restaurants, but the beach has suffered terrible erosion thanks to the landside development and destruction of much of the reef as building material.

By Richard Green

Foreign tourist arrivals for the month of July 2008 hit 183,122 making it the best July ever, improving +11.24 percent over last year’s record-breaking performance for July 2007 (164,618). On a year-to-date basis, January-July arrivals for 2008 have broken the psychological barrier of 1 million, recording 1,108.061 foreign arrivals for the first seven months of the year. Compared to the same period in 2007, when there were 910,567 visitors, arrivals are up +21.6 percent in 2008.

2 Million Visitors for 2008?
Assuming Bali can maintain the current +21.6 percent margin of annual improvement through the end of 2008 means the Island will end the year at just over 2 million foreign visitors, portending the first time ever that tourist arrivals will surpass the 2 million mark.

Bali’s Top Markets and China
Bali’s top 4 inbound markets remain, in order of importance, Japan, Australia, Taiwan and South Korea.

Japan’s recovery is now complete with arrivals for January-July 2008 (208,506) representing the best performance ever, surpassing the record levels recorded in 2000 (207,030). Year-to-date Japan arrivals for 2008 are +8.62 percent ahead of the same period in 2007.

Australia’s recovery is equally robust totaling 164,641 for the first seven months of 2008. This record-breaking performance testifies to the fact that the effects of two bombings and the collapse of Air Paradise have now been completely shaken off. Year-on-year, Australian arrivals have improved a whopping +54.79 percent over just one year ago.

At 85,036 arrivals through the first seven months of 2008, Taiwanese arrivals are down -2.92 percent as compared to 2007. Recent policy changes allowing easier visits by Taiwanese to Mainland China may be diverting potential Balinese visitors to the Chinese Mainland.

South Korean arrivals for January-July 2008 hit 78,745 representing record territory and a +5.52 percent improvement over 2007 (74,624) which was also a record-breaking year in its own right.

The People’s Republic of China has managed in the course of only six years to move from minor league status in terms of Bali visitors to become the fifth most importance source of foreign visitors. PRC arrivals for January-July 2008 (75,511) represented a 77.33 percent improvement over the same period in 2007 and now qualified the PRC as Bali’s 5th largest inbound market.

ASEAN Arrivals, Including Malaysia and Singapore
Underlining the growing importance of regional markets, ASEAN arrivals for the first seven months of 2008 totaled 110,241 – a year-on-year improvement of +18.8 percent when compared to 2007.

Malaysia remains the most important inbound market to Bali from within the ASEAN market. Fueled by low-cost fares from AirAsia, Malaysian arrivals for January-July hit 68,890, improving +20.5 percent over the same period in 2007.

Singapore arrivals have almost tripled since 2000 but have now largely achieved a plateau, totaling 25,553 for January-July 2008.

The Americas and Key European Markets
Arrivals from both North and South America have received a much-needed “bounce” from the recent easing of US travel advisories for Indonesia. Arrivals for January-July 2008 (58,903) have increased +25.5 percent over the same period for 2007 (46,903). Despite this “good news,” arrivals from this source still lag behind the record levels of 67,095 tallied for January-July 2001.

United Kingdom arrivals are improving steadily, up +20.9 percent from 2007. With 44,083 arrivals during January-July 2008, UK arrivals still lag -34.2 percent behind the 67,095 UK visitors who came in to Bali during the same period in 2001.

German visitors have improved +17.89 percent for the first seven months of the year in 2008, as compared to the previous year. Germany will, however, have to maintain a similar rate of growth in 2009 to regain lost ground from the heyday of German arrivals to Bali achieved in 2001.

Tourism totals from Holland have recovered completely by breaking into record territory. There were 33,886 Dutch visitors to Bali during the January-July 2008 period, an improvement of 8.9 percent over 2007.

From virtual obscurity less than one decade ago, the Russian market has become a major player achieving 33,800 visitors during January-July 2008. The Russian market is booming, improving +63.4 percent over its performance in the same period just one year before.

Source: Bali Discovery