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Indonesia Tourism Prospect
Indonesian Senior Statesman Makes a Critical Appraisal the Development of National Tourism.
(1/25/2010) Anak Agung Gde Agung is one of Indonesia’s most distinguished and well-informed senior statesmen. He is a graduate of Harvard and Leiden universities. He as attended the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in the United States and served as social services minister during the administration of President Abdurrahman Wahid.
The following article is reprinted from The Jakarta Post.
Indonesian Tourism – a National Tragedy
Government officials at all levels claim that Indonesia’s tourism is doing well, with each year seeing robust advancements. On the contrary, however, all the data indicate how dismally Indonesia’s tourism has done this past decade.
In the last 12 years to 2007, tourist numbers fluctuated between 4 million and 5 million visitors. The average length of stay has declined, from 10 days in 1997 to barely 8.5 days in 2008. Worst yet is how Indonesia compares with neighboring Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, which last year attracted 10 million, 15 million and 22 million visitors respectively.
How can such a huge discrepancy occur? How is it that Indonesia, brimming with such wealth in culture and natural beauty, attracts only a quarter of the tourists that basically barren Malaysia does?
This tragedy seems to have its source in the early 1980s, when Indonesia, strapped for funds, pointed to already world-famous Bali as its tourist cash cow. Since then, little has changed. As a result, Indonesia’s tourist attraction has been practically limited to Bali, with devastating consequences. Tourists overflow in quantum leaps to Bali, creating an explosion of infrastructure requirements that visibly erode the natural environment.
The over-concentration of tourists in Bali has not only brought an unmanageable overflow of visitors to the island – often the wrong types who cannot appreciate the unique local culture and natural environment – but has also led to an utter neglect of the other many equally attractive tourist spots throughout the archipelago.
Fabulous sites such as Borobudur, Yogyakarta, Toraja, Bunaken and Ujung Kulon, for instance, have been practically left unheeded. Such complacency has a high price, as can been seen from the destructive erosion that the overcrowding of tourists has brought to Bali’s culture and environment, and how it has stagnated Indonesia’s other richly diverse tourist destinations.
How bad have these other destinations stagnated? Here are a few horrifying statistics:
Borobudur, that World Cultural Heritage icon, was only able to muster about 85,000 foreign tourists last year, compared to more than 1 million by the more recently discovered Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
Toraja these last few years has only attracted an average of about 5,000 overseas tourists a year.
Bunaken averaged only about 10,000 foreign visitors a year for as long as one can remember, versus more than 4 million for the similar Pattaya in Thailand.
Ujung Kulon, with its rare one-horned rhino, can only claim an average of 6,000 combined domestic and foreign tourists a year.
A fast recovery is imperative here and the condition for this is a complete change in mind-set. The first order of the day is for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to declare tourism a national priority and for central and regional authorities as well as the government and the private sector to work hand in hand in this effort. This needs to be followed by a preliminary phase of quick-win activities rejuvenating tourist destinations that have so far languished but need only small improvements to boost them back.
Borobudur, for instance, can be brought back to full splendor by relocating the street vendors who have been encroaching on the temple grounds and harassed visitors from fully enjoying this beautiful temple/monastery. Toraja can also attract far more tourists by repairing its forsaken airfield so that visitors can arrive there within 45 minutes from Makassar and avoid the perilous 10-hour journey through steep mountains.
As for Ujung Kulon, tourist numbers can easily rise to more than a million there within a very short time if regular and safe sea transportation is made available from Jakarta. There are other fabulous places besides those mentioned above currently suffering from lack of attention, such as Mount Bromo, Yogyakarta and Komodo Island, which only need small touches to turn them quickly into major tourist destinations while easing the pressure on overcrowded Bali.
The quick-win phase should be followed by a longer-term buildup of other tourist sites nationwide, which will require more infrastructure investment to put them on the travel map. These sites are currently still relatively unfamiliar places, but have the potential to offer inherently unique attractions and help sustain the long-term development of Indonesia’s tourist industry.
Such places include Trowulan and Kota Gede for historical interests, Banda Naira and Raja Ampat for spectacular surfing, and the Baliem Valley and Waikabubak for unparalleled ethnic experiences. There are many other such tourist sites and they can be offered in clusters of similar attractions to make the trip for tourists richer and more diverse.
Both during the quick-win and long-term phases, the tourism recovery effort has to be supported by appropriately directed promotional campaigns with a common national branding. Malaysia has its “Truly Asia”, India its “Incredible” claim while Singapore and Thailand have respectively dubbed themselves “Uniquely Singapore” and “Amazing Thailand”. Branding is important to position the country concerned at the top of mind of would-be tourists while also filtering the right tourists who can appreciate what that country offers.
Increased arrivals of tourists, who show their appreciation of the local specialties, will make the local people proud of their heritage and motivate them to strengthen it further, which in turn will bring even more like-minded tourists. This will result in an upward spiral of tourists and local people hand in hand strengthening the traditional inheritance of the land.
A successful tourism program can have many priceless benefits for Indonesia, including making it the most diverse tourist destination in the world, providing it with a sustainable and environmentally clean source of revenue larger than any of its current ones, and bringing overall prosperity to the people throughout the archipelago (and not just Bali) through grassroots empowerment and self-sustenance.
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Bali Holiday Tours
When traveling to Bali for a holiday, it is never a case of what are you going to find to do on your vacation, but rather how many weeks vacation are you able to take to enjoy all that Bali has to give. Many folks think about beaches and white sand when thinking about Bali and associate it as being principally a beach vacation. Though there are plenty of resorts along the beachfront to relax at, this is only a small part of all the Bali tours and activities available.
The top-rated hotels will all offer you the opportunity to do some touring of the island as an in house service, even if they do not offer it they’ll arrange everything that you might need to do wherever it may be situated on the island. For tourists staying in more budget accommodations that have limited services, there will still be lots to do though the leisure activities may only include beach activities. These hotels would also be ready to arrange things for you to do, but a slow cruise around the fringes of your hotel and you will come across many tour operators which will be ready to help you.
There is very little that you will not find to do in Bali when you think about a tropical island paradise. The beach is definitely extremely popular, but it is when you head into the water that you begin to really experience all that Bali has to offer . Tours around the island will include more popular stuff like snorkeling, scuba diving and fishing trips, but there are some more surprising underwater activities available. Marine walking is very popular on the small island of Lembongan, just off the coast, where you wear a helmet with an oxygen hose connected to the surface so that you can walk around the ocean floor without the bulky tanks and other gear you need when scuba diving.
Another highly popular water activity in Bali is whitewater rafting that offers tours for youngsters of 5 years old and all the firms are very well set up and adhere to international safety standards. Apart from the water sports, there are more inland tours that are just as exciting and will get your heart racing. Touring the volcanoes that stretch from the east coast to the west coast can be stirring, especially when you have reached the peak and jump off with your paraglider. Many paragliding tours are in operation as a result of the abundant areas that are available to launch from.
If flying thru the air is not for you, visit the elephant safari park famous as the best one in the world. They offer short rides for youngsters as well as long treks through the Balinese countryside sitting on the back of your own massive elephant. It might not appear as much fun as some of the other activities, but once you climb up on top of a seven foot elephant, your heart will definitely skip a beat or two. If all these activities appear too much then you can take your own tour at your own pace and do a Bali shopping tour that will be as thrilling as anything else. One of the great things about Bali is that it never disappoints, there’s always something that will leave you awestruck and left with memories for a whole life.
If you are looking for some fun and exciting Bali Tours as well as other information to help you with your Bali holiday check out Bali Accommodation. From simple snorkeling tours to more heartpumping paragling jumps we can help you find the perfect tour for you.
www.balicheckin.com – Online Bali Tours Reservation Bali water sport packages included para sailing, banana boat, jet ski, fly fish, glass bottom boat, snorkeling, turtle island. *Bali water sport reservation, click www.balicheckin.com *Let’s join our Bali tours at: www.balicheckin.com *Secrets to cheap flights, click: www.balicheckin.com
Bali Tours Services Suporting Bali Clean and Green
Quite amazing things to get to know and experience more about places of interest mainly cultural atraction and natural beauty in bali. Kuta for instance comonly well known as tourist area and bussines center is actualy dealing with a n ot so friendly effects of uncontroled development of a great number of tourist accomodations varying in types, inspite of that, it actually became necesities to give choices among travelers who come to bali.
Other side effects contribute a frequent flooding down the road out of we found less and less green area in this island every year . Even the ever increasing population growth compared to 5600 km square large generates incredible traffic and overflows of rubish particularly in the capital city and such major tourist area as Kuta that can slow things up a bit.
We, as balinese societies and our goverment have been making an effort to overcome the problem to take bali away from serious damages that may be caused in the next future. For the reason of that, we keep planting a large number of shady and easily water absorbing plantation to recover, preserve, and keep bali green that has become a program to carry out called “Bali Clean and Green”. The program we are running is based on balinese philosophy of living called “Tri Hita Karana”, this guide us to respect God Almighty, respect our mother nature including plants and animal, and respect to each other as humankind. It is a must for tourism industries to hand in hand with our societies in succeding this program to preserve and keep bali green.
Bali tour services representating balinese societies hope that all the tourists who come to bali in the future can have a very good time to enjoy a wide options of atraction and pristine beauty of bali. Eventualy the travelers will be more interested in understanding more bali’s culture and tradition passed on by our anchestor and participating to support us to succed our “Bali Clean and Green” program. We highly appreciate any participation to make you feel at home by choosing bali your holiday destination.
As a part of balinese societies bali tours services with local profesional bali tour drivers are hand in hand to support “Bali Clean and Green” program.
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Indonesia Up coming Events
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Experience the cultural richness of Indonesia at Bintan Resorts! This remarkable event will be running from 13 up to 23 March 2020, Bintan Resorts of Indonesia.
Come March 2010, Bintan Resorts will be transformed into a microcosm of Indonesia where the whole family can experience the vast cultural diversity and rich heritage of six regions: Riau, Bali, West Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Maluku, all in one place.
The Bintan Cultural Festival is a celebration of Indonesia’s diverse culture and rich heritage that is widely expressed through performing arts as well as various forms of arts and crafts.
During the 11-day event, six major cultures will be showcased at various venues across Bintan Resorts. Visitors will be enchanted by the spectacular dance performances and extensive exhibit of handicrafts from Riau, Bali, West Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Maluku, as well as the opportunity to sample various authentic Indonesian cuisines and participate in traditional games and have fun taking photos of themselves in ethnic costumes.
Handicrafts Showcase
Adventure Tours Indonesia’s rich cultural heritage is truly reflected in its wide variety of handicrafts that can be found across the country, from intricate woodcarvings and sculpture for ornamentation and furniture to silverwork and engraving on metals, clay and stone. The fine art that is most synonymous with the country is probably the batik, which the Indonesians wear for occasions ranging from daily wear to international official events.
Authentic Indonesian Food
The variety of food in Adventure Tours Indonesia, like its culture, is immense. Popular dishes such as nasi goreng (fried rice) and mee goreng (fried noodles), or gado-gado (vegetables topped with peanut sauce and sliced boiled egg) and sweet desserts such as kueh-kueh (steamed cakes) are some typical Indonesian fare. Guests will be able to experience the different culinary styles of each province as well as sample a wide range of flavoursome culinary delights while basking in the lively atmosphere.
Traditional Dances
The rich cultural diversity of Indonesian is vividly expressed through the performing arts of music, dance and drama. Varying from region to region across the archipelago, the cultural dances of Indonesia are often inspired by folklores depicted by dramatic movements accompanied by traditional musical instruments.
Cultural Activities
During the festival, visitors to Bintan Resorts will also be able to try out some Adventure Tours traditional games, watch wood carving demonstrations as well as pick up some local handicrafts and food stuff at the night bazaar. On 15th March night, there will also be an Ogoh Ogoh Procession, a spectacular tradition practiced by the Balinese Hindus on the eve Nyepi day (Day of Silence) that is the Adventure Balinese New Year Day. Ogoh-Ogoh is a gigantic effigy of a demon that is paraded on the streets amidst noise and fiery flares before being burned as a way to get rid of evil.
Festival Launch Event
Come join us on 13th March 2010 from 4p.m. onwards at the Adventure Tours Reservoir Park! The launch event will feature a spectacular performance of all six cultural dance troupes, a multitude of local foodstuff and handicrafts for sale, as well as many entertaining games and activities for the whole family!
So mark your calendar now and come join us at the Bintan Cultural festival 2010!
Adventure Tours, Bali Adventure Toursim, Adventure Tours Vacations
Bali & Beyond Tours traveling throughout the Island and beyond to Gili Islands and onwards. Adventure tour Bali offers waterfalls, monkey temples, surfing lessons, rafting www.beachtravellers.com
www.balicheckin.com Bali Hotels & Tours Reservation, offer Bali hotels & resorts, Bali day trip tour, rafting adventure tour, downhill cycling tour, water sport tour, photo tour, spa vacation, yoga class for your Bali packages tour programs. Are you looking for Bali hotels & tours? Simply visit www.balicheckin.com
Video Rating: 5 / 5
Bali Tours
Article by Rene Whitfield
When going to Bali for a vacation, it is never a case of what are you going to find to do on your vacation, but rather how many weeks holiday can you take to enjoy all that Bali has to give. Many of us think of beaches and white sand when thinking of Bali and associate it as being especially a beach holiday. Though there are plenty of resorts along the beachfront to chill at, this is only a small part of all the Bali tours and activities available. The most highly rated hotels will all offer you the opportunity to do some touring of the island as an in house service, even if they do not offer it they will arrange everything that you could wish to do wherever it may be situated on the island. For holiday makers staying in more budget accommodations that have limited services, there will still be plenty to do although the leisure activities may only include beach activities. These hotels would also be able to arrange things for you to do, but a slow cruise around the fringes of your hotel and you will come across many tour operators which will be able to help you. There is little that you will not find to do in Bali when you think of a tropical island paradise. The beach is definitely very popular, but it is when you head into the water that you start to actually experience all that Bali has to give. Tours round the island will include more popular stuff like snorkeling, scuba diving and fishing trips, but there are also some more unusual underwater activities available. Sea walking is very popular on the small island of Lembongan, just off the coast, where you wear a helmet with an oxygen hose hooked up to the surface so that you can walk around the ocean floor without the bulky tanks and other gear you need when scuba diving. Another highly popular water activity in Bali is whitewater rafting that offers tours for youngsters of five years old and all the s are very well set up and adhere to world safety standards. Aside from the water sports, there are other inland tours that are just as exciting and will get your heart racing. Touring the volcanoes that stretch from the east coast to the west coast can be stirring, particularly when you have reached the peak and jump off with your paraglider. Many paragliding tours are in operation as a consequence of the abundant areas that are available to launch from. If flying through the air is not for you, visit the elephant safari park famous as the best one in the world. They offer short rides for youngsters as well as long treks through the Balinese countryside sitting on the back of your own big elephant. It may not appear as thrilling as some of the other activities, but once you climb up on top of a 7 foot elephant, your heart will skip a beat or 2. If all these activities seem too much then you can take your own tour at your own pace and do a Bali shopping tour that will be as exciting as anything else. One of the great things about Bali is that it never disappoints, there’s always something that will leave you awestruck and left with memories for a lifetime.
About the Author
If you are looking for some fun and exciting Bali Tours as well as other information to help you with your Bali holiday check out Bali Accommodation. From simple snorkeling tours to more heartpumping paragling jumps we can help you find the perfect tour for you.
Top 6 Bali Spiritual Tours To Warm Your Soul
Article by Raymond Horsfall
The culture of Bali is in sharp contrast to what we are used to in the West. A large percentage of the population still dependent on farming for their living, people live on less money per day than what we would spend on petrol to get to work, and above all, most of the population is deeply spiritual as well as superstitious. If you want to feel that you’ve reconnected with your simpler side, a Bali vacation is the perfect way to do so. Today we look at some of the spiritual travel options in this tiny Indonesian island.
Temples in Bali
Bali, like many South East Asian countries, holds much of its art, culture and architecture in the temples of the region. Locals have believed for many years that the deities of the local area had a direct influence on the success of their lives, which is why there is such emphasis on inward-looking, on spirituality and on reverence. There are some truly beautiful temples to be accessed only minutes from a range of Bali hotels, including:
* Pura Besakih: This incorporates pre-Hindu beliefs into the temple complex, which consists of five compounds as well as the main temple. There are plenty of day-long Bali tours to Pura Besakih * Taman Ayun Temple: This temple is around 18 km south of Denpasar, and is much quieter than the other famous and easily accessed temples. It is surrounded by a wide moat and beautifully kept gardens; visitors cannot enter the temple, but you can watch ceremonies being conducted inside. * Temple of the Meeting of the Three: Intriguing name for an intriguing temple! This particular building has only been there since 1917, but there has always been a temple on this site for over a thousand years. * Uluwatu temple: There is some controversy about whether the monkeys at Uluwatu temple are tamed or trained to be naughty. But the temple itself is a must-see for a Bali vacation. * Yeh Pulu Temple: This is said to be a very quiet temple, although visitors are often ‘required’ to give an offering to the temple gods.
Spiritual Festivals
Much as we in the Western world take time off our usual work to be with our friends and family, people in Bali often take time out of their day to honour locally recognized gods and deities. These events are a great way to get insight into the minds and motivations of the Balinese people… simply a very special thing to be around! You can check out most of the temples at any time of year, so if you want to up the ‘heart factor’ of your trip, take your Bali vacation around the dates of the following spiritual festivals:
* January 2 Tumpek Kandang – Special day of thanks for the gift of livestock * February 06 Tumpek Wayang – Special day of thanks for the gift of Art * February 26 Prophet Mohammed’s Birthday – Moslem Holiday * February 27 Saraswati – Special day of thanks for the gift of Knowledge * March 03 Pagerwesi – Special day for meditation to enhance balance in the world * March 13 Tumpek Landep – Special day of thanks for the gift of metal * March 15 Tawur Agung Kesanga – Held to welcome Nyepi holiday at every family compound; followed by procession of Ogoh-Ogoh (huge monster / evil dolls) * March 16 Nyepi – Balinese New Year; The I Saka New Year 1932, the day of absolute silence for Hindu followers * April 17 Tumpek Uduh or Tumpek Pengatag – Special day of thanks for the gift of fruit-bearing plants * May 22 Kuningan – Believed to be the ascendant day of ancestral holy spirits and deities, back to the eternity * May 28 Vaishakha 2554 – Buddhist holiday to celebrate the birth anniversary of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism * July 31 Tumpek Kandang – Special day of thanks for the gift of livestock * September 29 Pagerwesi – Special day for meditation to enhance balance in the world * October 09 Tumpek Landep – Special day of thanks for the gift of metal * December 07 1 Muharram 1432 H – Moslem New Year * December 08 Galungan – Praying for the victory of virtue (Dharma) upon evil (Adharma) * December 18 Kuningan – Believed to be the ascendant day of ancestral holy spirits and deities, back to the eternity
Ancient Spiritual Sites
Bali is beautiful and quiet… unless you are in Denpasar or the other urban areas, there is usually nothing to hear but the wind in the leaves, the faint chattering of monkeys and the call of the ocean! Perfect for meditation and some private yoga sessions. Check out spiritual sites perfect for these practices on your Bali vacation, like the West Bali National Park and Bali Barat National Park.
About the Author
Looking to book holidays to Bali? Then find Bali hotel accommodation, other tourism resources and Bali island tours with Bali Dream Tours. Make online bookings for hotels and villas in Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, Tuban, Seminyak, Ubud, Kuta, Sanur and other areas of Bali by visiting Bali Hotels.
Top 4 Unmissable Bali Tours
No matter how much traveling you have done in your lifetime, every different country represents a whole new set of challenges. Different languages, different customs, different regulations, different ways of getting around … if you can find anything that is similar to your home town, you probably haven’t gone far enough! While Bali is a popular tourist destination, the unfamiliarity is always striking for newcomers. If this is your first Bali holidays, the best way to get to see the island is to join a guided tour. We look at some of the best Bali guided tours, for either first-time visitors or Indonesian experts!
Why tour?
Jumping on a Bali guided tour, for at least part of your vacation, will open your eyes up to a whole new part of the country that you simply may not have been aware existed, by yourself. There are also plenty of other great reasons to join a tour, rather than trying to arrange your transport and activities on your own:
In Bali, the local economy makes tours (as well as food, accommodation, and just about everything!) incredibly cheap for Westerners earning in AUD, USD or Euros. A full day guided tour can cost as little as including lunch.
Language difficulties will bother you less when you have a guide to act as translator
You’ll be warned about potentially thorny social customs before they become an issue.
You’ll have access to places that you didn’t even know existed!
Best Bali Tours
There are dozens of different tours that you can tag along with in Bali. Here are a few of our favourites, incorporating the big tourist areas as well as local secrets, and run by truly charming local people.
Barong and Kintimani volcano tours: Bali has some beautiful, active volcanoes, but that’s not all you get to see on this half-day tour. The 11th century Elephant cave is on the itinerary, as is the woodcarving village of Mas, Mount Batur and the village of Trunyan, where traditional Balinese remain largely uninfluenced by Western culture.
Karangasem Ancient Kingdom tour: The Klungkung Royal Court of Justice, the Bat Cave (Goa Lawah) and the east coast town of Amla Pura are all on the itinerary for this tour, which costs only for both adults and children.
Tanah Lot Tour: You get to spend a fair bit of time in the famous Monkey Forest on this tour. It is best to have a guide here to protect you f<!—->rom the cheeky spectacle and camera-stealing monkeys! Tanah Lot also feature – the name means ‘Land in the Middle of the Sea’ in Balinese, and is a temple atop an enormous offshore rock.
Happy Bike Cycling Tour: The tour doesn’t disappoint, given the expectations that the name sets up! Many people say this tour was ‘the best thing they did’ in Bali. You’ll visit agricultural properties, a traditional Balinese home and home cooking, the way that Balinese people eat.
There are many, many tours in Bali. You can get bus tours, private car charter tours, bike tours, tours focused on temples and history, or on food and modern culture. A true eye opener, and the only way to make a first visit to Bali worthwhile.
Looking to book holidays to Bali? Then find Bali hotel accommodation, other tourism resources and Bali island tours with Bali Dream Tours. Make online bookings for hotels and villas in Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, Tuban, Seminyak, Ubud, Kuta, Sanur and other areas of Bali by visiting Bali Hotels .
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