Garuda Indonesia Opens Denpasar - Hongkong
Thursday, June 3 2010
| Business
Denpasar (Antara Bali) - Indonesia's national flag-carrier Garuda Indonesia opened the Denpasar-Hongkong air link by Boeing 737-800 NG, the company's general manager Jubi Prasetyo said in Tuban, Bali.
"Garuda flies three times a week, namely on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays by the 156-seat B 737-800 NG. Every month Garuda may fly 2,500 Hong Kong tourists," Jubi Prasetyo said here, Wednesday.
On the start of the maiden flight to Hong Kong, he said the flight will support Indonesia's tourism sector, especially Bali.
He also said that the flight to Hong Kong was in anticipation of the increasing number of tourists from Hong Kong and China to the island of Gods.
"This month's ticket sales for the flight had reached 75 percent, which indicates that the Hong Kong market is growing," he added.
"Following the opening of the Denpasar-Hongkong route, we will also offer special fares for flights from Beijing, Shanghai, and via Jakarta and the other way around," Jubi said.(*)
Indonesia to Host Miss World Contest in 2014, Bali Governor May 27, 2010
Jakarta Globe - Miss Indonesia 2009 Kerrenina Sunny Halim, middle, accompanied by other finalists on stage during the grand final of Miss Indonesia beauty pageant. The Indonesian resort island of Bali will host Miss World in 2014. (Photo EPA/Mast Irham)
Indonesia will host the Miss World competition in 2014. The news was broken by Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika during a speech to open the 61st World Real Estate Congress (FIABCI) at Hotel Grand Hyatt Nusa Dua, Bali on Thursday.
“In 2014 the Miss World contest is going to be held in Bali,” Pastika said.
According to Pastika, the resort island will also a host a number of other international events such as the 2011 ASEAN Summit and the 2013 APEC Conference.
Pastika used the opportunity to promote tourism in Bali by saying Bali had already gained another nickname.
“Bali is known as the Island of Gods and Island of Peace and Democracy, now Bali is the island of Love. Julia Roberts, in the movie Eat, Pray and Love found true love in Bali,” he said.
Pastika's persistence in promoting Bali earned him praise from Vice President Boediono.
“If you need a marketing director, Pak Governor is the right man. He has the knack for marketing,” Boediono said.
Japanese National's Killer Facing Life Sentence Wednesday, May 26 2010 08:46 WIB
Denpasar (Antara Bali) - Mawardi (31), a man suspected of murdering and sexually molesting a Japanese woman, Hiromi Shimada (41), may face a life sentence according to prosecution in his trial at the Denpasar District Court, Tuesday.
Public prosecutor, Ni Made Citra Maya Sari charged the construction worker of East Lombok district in West Nusa Tenggara (TNB) province with murder, robbery and indecent action.
Mawardi alias Anto was at the court session presided over by Judge Ida Gusti Bagus Komang Wijaya Adhiroom to listen to the charges leveled against him.
Mawardi was charged with the murder of the Japanese woman on November 25 last year at a leased house on Jalan Sadasari 17, Kuta, Badung regency, Bali. In the beginning, Anto asked the victim to have sex with him, but was turned down.
The raged Anto told his friend Adurrahman to take the victim forcefully into his room. Brandishing a knife, Abdurrahman robbed the Japanese of his belongings like a wristwatch, necklace and credit card and Rp900 thousand in cash.
Anto then tried to rape the victim, but faced strong resistance. He stabbed her on her belly and neck several times, which caused the Japanese killed.
After both were sure that Hiromi was dead, they fled to the project's mess at Wisma Bima II in Kuta. Anto threw away the murder weapon into a pool of the project. An autopsy at the Sanglah hospital indicated that the Japanese victim suffered multiple stabbing wounds on her belly deep into her pancreas, gall bladder reaching the main blood vein.
The accused's lawyer Made Suardika Adnyana chose not to file a demurrer. The court had been adjourned until next week June 1 to hear the witnesses.(*)
13 Canadian Agents Works on Indonesia's Heritage Monday, May 17 2010 18:04 WIB
Denpasar (Antara Bali) - About 14 persons from 13 travel agents Canada joined Java Bali Fam Trip 2010 sponsored by The Embassy of Republic Indonesia in Ottawa Canada came to Indonesia planning to promote undiscovered Indonesia culture heritages.
It was said by Marketing Director of Tour Hai International Canada, Michel Lariviere, one of the biggest tour operator for Asia destination in Canada on press conference held in Puri Saron Seminyak Hotel, Kuta, Bali, Monday. Also said that all of those travel agents will visit local culture tourist object which located in East Bali like Tenganan village, Gelgel temple, Goa Lawah, and Taman Ujung from April 27 to May 1, 2010.
"Bali still attracting many tourist from Canada.The main reason they would like to come because of culture and local people hospitality which they not meet in the place around the world," Lariviere said.
Lariviere mentioned that travel agents in Canada never promoting Bali with the beach because many destination having more beautiful beach than Bali. Businessman who have been to Indonesia more than 15 times express his great appreciation for The Embassy of Republic Indonesia for sponsoring this program.
Before visiting Bali, those 13 travel agents from Canada who work with local Indonesia operator Bali Impressions have been visiting many culture and nature destinations such as Tangkuban Perahu crater and Angklung Mang Ujo in Bandung, West Java, and Dieng the plateau.
The great Buddhist temple ”Borobudur temple” in Central Java also Prambanan temple and Sultan palace in Yogyakarta, are also on the list. This Java Bali Familiarization trip start the program in Jakarta on April 21, 2010 and ended in Bali on May 2, 2010.
Wayan Suena, Director of Sales of Marketing Bali Impressions said those 13 travel agents have been promoting Indonesia including Bali for more than 10 years.
"With this program we believe we can increase number of visitor from Canada to Indonesia by explore more of our culture heritage, especially Bali," he stated.
As long as local inbound travel agents not sell Indonesia as cheap destination and profit orientation only without having heart to take care and preserved Indonesia culture heritage.
Suena very optimistic with having long term mutual relation with right partner in Canada also support from The Embassy of Republic Indonesia in Ottawa, Canada will bring unbelievable impact for Indonesian tourism especially to support the government to succeed the Visit Indonesia Year 2010.
Bali Hotels Room Occupancy Rates Up 2.39 PCT in March
Monday, May 17 2010 04:00 WIB
Denpasar (Antara Bali) - Star-rated hotels in the resort island of Bali saw a 2.39 percent rise in their room occupancy rates in March to 59.30 percent from a month earlier.
"The increase in room occupancy rates was closely related to foreign and domestic tourist arrivals in Bali which rose 14.49 percent," head of the Bali provincial statistics office Ida Komang Wisnu said here on Sunday.
He said 192,579 foreign tourists visited Bali in March compared to 191,926 the month before.
Badung district recorded a room occupancy rate of 61.70 percent, the highest among districts and municipality in Bali, he said.
The lowest room occupancy rate of 31.41 percent was recorded in Buleleng district, he said.
The room occupancy rates in Tabanan district reached 51.65 percent, Gianyar district 40.14 percent, Karangasem district 32.03 percent and Denpasar municipality 48.03 percent.
He said the room occupancy rates of five-star hotels averaged 64.84 percent, four-star hotels 64.51 percent, three-star hotels 50.31 percent, two-star hotels 56.67 percent and one-star hotels 41.36 percent.
On average the tourists stayed at the hotels in Bali for 3.79 days in March, up 0.37 day compared to February.(*)
Maker for "Cowboys in Paradise" Violated RI Laws: Police
Thursday, April 29 2010 04:35 WIB
Denpasar (Antara Bali) - The maker of the documentary film "Cowboys in Paradise" is believed to have produced the movie in Bali without the needed official permission and could therefore be prosecuted, police said.
"In our preliminary investigation which included collecting information from various relevant parties, we have found reason to believe the film's maker did not have a permit to 'shoot' his scenes in Bali. If our belief proves to be correct, he can be prosecuted for violating the law," Bali provincial police spokesman Sr Com Gde Sugianyar said in Denpasar on Wednesday.
For not having an official permit, the initiator or maker of the documentary could be charged based on Article 41, section (1), of Law No 8 /1992 on Film Making which carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a fine of Rp40 million, he said.
"Cowboys in Paradise" purports to depict the life of gigolos or male prostitutes who cater to sex-hungry female tourists on Bali's Kuta beach. It was made by Amit Virmani, an Indian-born film director currently living in Singapore.
The gigolos presented in the film are mostly sunburnt local young men who at first glance act like ordinary "beach boys" mingling with tourists on Kuta beach.
The film which is reported to have won awards at the Korean International Documentary Festival and can also be seen on the internet has created a stir and drawn protests from local quarters in Bali.
Sugianyar said Amit Virmani could also be charged for violating Indonesia's immigration law because he had come to Bali on a tourist visa, meaning he was supposed not to have done anything else apart from vacationing. "But he made a film and thereby he clearly violated the immigration law," he said.(*)
DISCOVER INDONESIA ditunda penyelenggaraannya Monday, April 19 2010
Strategi promosi langsung ke wisatawan manacanegara yang dikemas dalam sebuah pameran bertajuk Discover Indonesia yang rencananya akan terselenggara pada tanggal 30 April hingga 2 Mei 2010 diumumkan ditunda. Hal ini disampaikan oleh wakil ketua bidang pemasaran Bali Village, Herdy Sayogha, didampingi ketua Bali Tourism Board, Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya pagi ini.
"Surat pemberitahuan sudah kami layangkan ke seluruh pihak terkait namun kami juga menganggap penting untuk mengumumkan melalui media masa mengingat kegiatan ini berkaitan langsung kepada semua lapisan masyarakat, pemerintah serta industri pariwisata," ujar Herdy Sayogha mengkonfirmasi.
Event yang didukung penuh oleh Kementrian Kebudaya dan Pariwisata ini terpaksa ditunda menunggu kesempurnaan persiapan seluruh peserta yang turut menyemarakkan acara. Dijadwalkan perwakilan dari Papua, Sulawesi, Sumatera dan Jawa akan tampil untuk menyuguhkan potensi daerah masing-masing sehingga mampu memikat para turis yang sedang berlibur di Bali untuk selangkah lagi diajak menikmati tujuan lain di Nusantara. Contohnya daerah agrowisata Batu di Malang, Jawa Timur sudah siap dengan paket-paket kunjungan perkebunan yang diharapkan dapat menyedot kunjungan turis asing ke daerah yang hanya sejam penerbangan dari Bali ini.
"Kami sangat berbangga begitu besarnya animo pemangku kepentingan (stakeholder) pariwisata sehingga gelaran ini dapat terwujud," pungkas Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya. Even skala nasional ini tidak mungkin dapat terlaksana jika hanya didorong dari satu pihak saja namun karena didukung oleh pemerintah, swasta dan juga masyarakat Bali pada umumnya, yasng sangat sadar akan pentingnya peran Bali sebagai 'hub' pusat penyebaran wisata nasional. Kementrian Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata memberitahukan bahwa jadwal pelaksanaan strategi promosi langsung di mall diundur hingga bulan Juni 2010.
Raja Ampat to Organize Marine Festival
Friday, April 16 2010 19:44 WIB | Beyond Bali |
Denpasar (Antara Bali) - The Raja Empat district tourism office is making preparations for a marine festival 2010 in May this year.
The marine festival would be organized from May 1 to 10, 2010 and centered in the Raja Ampat's district capital of Waisasi, on Waigeo Island, Yusdhi Lamatenggo, head of the Raja Ampat district tourism office, said here on Friday.
The main attraction of the marine festival will be diving in Raja Ampat waters which are considered to be among the world's ten most beautiful diving sites.
"According to the plan, Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik will officially open the festival. Meanwhile, many foreign and domestic tourists have also expressed their interest in joining the festival," he said.
More tourists are now interested in visiting the Raja Ampat marine resort in West Papua Province, particularly for diving.
Tourists must book accommodations in Raja Ampat resort months before their arrival as most of the rooms there were fully booked, Yusdi Lamatenggo said.
Lamatenggo is in Denpasar to accompany Raja Ampat District Head Marcus Wanma who is scheduled to officially open a Raja Ampat tourism office in Sanur, Badung District, Bali Province.
Raja Ampat also has established a promotion office in Jakarta, and has five marine tourism operators in Papua. A tourist usually spends about 11 days in Raja Ampat to enjoy diving from one location to another.
According to data from the Raja Ampat tourism office, some 7,000 tourists, mostly foreigners from the United States, Europe and Australia, and only 200 domestic tourists, visited Raja Empat in 2009.
The Raja Ampat (Four Kings) archipelago encompasses more than 9.8 million acres of land and sea off the northwestern tip of West Papua Province.
Located in the Coral Triangle, the heart of the world's coral reef biodiversity, the seas around Raja Ampat possibly hold the richest variety of species in the world.
The area's massive coral colonies show that its reefs are resistant to threats like coral bleaching and disease that now jeopardize the survival of coral reefs around the world.
Raja Ampat waters have around 540 species of hard coral reefs, including 13 of them are endemic, constituting 75 percent of the world's endemic coral reefs.
The marine resort also have more than 1,070 reef fish species and 60 shrimp species, 699 species of soft animals consisting of 530 species of snails and 159 species of clams.(*)
Rai Suryawijaya Pimpin PHRI Badung
Tuesday, April 13 2010 15:33 WIB.
Denpasar (Antara Bali) - I Gusti Ngurah Rai Suryawijaya terpilih sebagai Ketua Badan Pimpinan Cabang Perhimpunan Hotel dan Restoran Indonesia (PHRI) Kabupaten Badung periode 2010-2015.
Dalam musyawarah cabang BPC PHRI Badung yang berlangsung di Kuta, Bali, Selasa, Rai Suryawijaya terpilih secara aklamasi karena kandidat lain, yaitu I Gusti Kade Sutawa mengundurkan diri dalam pemilihan tersebut.
Rai Suryawijaya mengucapkan terima kasih kepada semua pihak yang telah memberikan kepercayaan untuk memimpin PHRI Badung lima tahun ke depan.
"Amanat organisasi ini saya akan jalankan sesuai anggaran dasar dan rumah tangga. Hal itu tentu harus mendapat dukungan dari jajaran pengurus maupun instansi terkait," kata pemilik "The Batu Belig Resort" Seminyak itu.
Bupati Badung Anak Agung Gde Agung berharap, terbentuknya pengurus PHRI Badung, senantiasa mampu bersinergi dalam mengawasi tumbuhnya kepemilikan hotel, restoran ataupun penginapan yang kian berkembang pesat di kabupaten ini.
"Saya menyambut baik digelarnya musyawarah cabang PHRI Badung, sebagai wujud asosiasi yang sangat ditunggu kehadirannya dalam menata bersama-sama keberadaan akomodasi di Badung," katanya.
Dikatakan, total penerimaan pajak hotel restoran (PHR) Badung tahun 2009 sebesar Rp850 miliar, sekitar Rp84 miliar telah diberikan langsung kepada desa-desa dinas, desa adat dan subak di seluruh wilayah di Badung.
"Saya sampaikan pajak PHR dari keberadaan hotel, restoran yang ada di Badung telah kami alokasikan kepada desa-desa, mereka telah menikmati gemerciknya dolar yang dihasilkan dari pariwisata," katanya.
Sementara itu, Ketua BPD PHRI Bali Tjokorda Artha Ardhana Sukawati meminta kepada pengurus yang terbentuk agar bersama pemerintah kabupaten melaksanakan fungsinya, terutama dalam hal pengurusan izin hotel agar PHRI dilibatkan.
"Kami berharap PHRI Badung nantinya dapat dilibatkan sepenuhnya untuk menata akomodasi termasuk mengurus perizinan pembangunan hotel," katanya.
Dikatakan, tugas yang penting diamanatkan kepada PHRI adalah mampu memberi sertifikasi hotel yang mesti dikantonginya.
"Hampir 90 persen akomodasi pariwisata terbanyak terdapat di wilayah Badung. Tumbuhnya vila-vila, apartemen, kondotel menjadikan Badung daerah primadona," kata Artha Ardhana.(*)
