Let’s go back to the Island of Gods, Bali. On Day 4 I showed you a picture of Plebon Ceremony in Bali.

Here’s another picture of Plebon, a traditional ceremony in Bali that you shouldn’t miss!

Regards,
Mad

Check out my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri.

It’s time to chill, relax…

After a beautifully thrilling and high energy adventure in the past 8 days, it’s now time to catch a breath. I decided to stop by in the north-east coast of Bali, Tulamben, while preparing for another full exciting week.

Enjoying the sunset here after diving with curious foreign tourists around the US Army ship wreck is a nice way to wrap up this week. While wreck diving is the main attraction here, you can still find other interesting stuff to do in Bali. It’s Bali anyway.

I wasn’t lucky enough to find any lost treasure in the wreck though…

Very recommended for: divers, swimmers.

Regards,
Mad

Check out my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri.

Alright, this was actually from my Bali trip earlier this year, and I’m still enjoying the water of Pulau Kambing. But I think it’s worth sharing, the Plebon Ceremony in Ubud, Bali.

It’s a cremation ceremony for the royal families. Here’s some description from My Bali Info:

In Hindu Bali belief, a cremation ceremony symbolizes the cleansing of the soul of the one who has passed away, by returning the physical remains to the original elements from which living creatures are created and thereby releasing the soul from its worldly bonds. A pelebon or ngaben is not a mournful occasion, but rather a way to soothe the soul of the departed and ensure that it is not disturbed by the sobbing of those left behind.
In Balinese tradition, the body is merely a vessel for the soul. When a person dies, it is believed that his soul, or atman, remains near the body. A person’s body consists of five elements: fire, air, water, earth, and empty space. These five elements must be returned to nature, to be released so they can find the way to heaven and unite with the Creator. The cremation ceremony is a lengthy process, with many steps both before and after the cremation itself.

What’s interesting is that this became a popular tourist attraction. Well, it’s Bali to begin with, so there’s bunch of foreign tourists, and this ceremony shows a strong vibe of Balinese culture.

But of course, there are more fun stuff to do in Bali. And how to go to Bali? Y’all know that already…

See you around!

Regards,
Mad

Check out my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri.

Bali
Hailed as the “ultimate holiday island” by many globetrotters, Bali’s magnetic charm is still alluring. With many remote beaches popping up on the map, such as Dreamland and Padang Padang, as the new darlings alongside other novel attractions, Bali remains on everyone’s top destinations list.

Also thanks to the Eat, Pray & Love movie for securing Ubud as the artsy little town filled with cool galleries and stylish boutiques, and of course, a haven for spiritual seekers, where people can cleanse their soul with a little yoga and meditation in the rice fields and enjoy amazing spa treatments.

Raja Ampat
Due to the wide media exposure in the past two years, this tiny group of islands situated on the northwest tip of Papuan bird’s head peninsula has been enjoying an increasing number of visitors as the world’s number one diving spot.

Home to more than 75 percent of the earth’s coral species, Raja Ampat is indeed the heart of the Coral Triangle, which also shelters a staggering 1,200 types of fish and 700 mollusk species.

Above on land, watching the Papua’s iconic Birds of Paradise swaging their tiny bodies on high tree branches in the islands’ jungle will complete your visit to Raja Ampat.

Tana Toraja
Step into the mystical land of Tana Toraja where an ancient-old burial tradition has propelled the regency into an international tourist destination. Located around 350 km north of Makassar, the largest city in Southern Sulawesi, Tana Toraja is famed for its legendary seven days Rambu Solo burial ceremony as well as the captivating cemetery sites situated in steep rocky cliffs.

Encounter the deceased in Londa, an old burial ground inside a rock cave, where wooden caskets are neatly placed according to their family tree. Outside, the cave is adorned with tau-tau (traditional Toraja wooden doll) as miniature replicates of the noble people buried inside.

At Lemo rock cliff, wooden coffins are rested inside man-made holes that had been deeply carved into the steep cliff. Here, the higher resting hole indicates higher social rank of the person buried. The oldest burial site in Toraja is located in Kete’ Ke’su village, where numerous thousand-year-old wooden caskets are placed on steep cliffs without any outer shields or protection.

In Pallawa Village you can witness a number of Toraja’s traditional Tongkonan houses (that look like an old Chinese emperor’s ship) that are hundreds of years old. Adorned with water buffalo horns and rows of boar tusks they are still standing high in mint condition. Tana Toraja is the place to soak in an exceptionally rich cultural heritage the world has gradually come to appreciate.

Komodo National Park
Have a real Jurassic Park vacation by meeting the wild Komodo dragons! Situated between Sumbawa and Flores islands, the Komodo National Park stretches across three major islands, Komodo, Rinca, and Padar, and for the past few years, has been increasingly popular for its unique beaches and numerous stunning dive sites.

After a heart-pumping Komodo safari at Loh Liang, relax on the idyllic Pink Beach with its lovely soft pink sands. Some say microscopic organisms named foraminifera cause the pink-colored effect on the sands. With the protection of Jagawana, the park’s guide, you can lazily sunbathe, swim, snorkel or even dive here, though beware of the rather strong current.

Established in 1980, the park was built as the Komodo dragon conservation site and was quickly initiated as the UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Man and Biosphere Reserve in 1986.

Borobudur Temple
Inscribed in 1991 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this 9th Century Buddhist temple was built by King Samaratungga, a Saliendra descendant, 300 years before Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

The majestic temple located in Muntilan, Central Java, elegantly portrays the philosophy of life of the great Bodhisattva in 1460 beautifully sculptured bas-reliefs (some experts believe it to be the most complete ensemble of Buddhist reliefs in the world) and 504 stupas containing a statue of Buddha.

Recently, Pretty Woman actor and devoted Buddhist Richard Gere, visited the temple to wander through its striking compound and do a quiet morning meditation.

News Source: The Jakarta Post

“The teams are scheduled to be in Bali Oct. 12-17,” agency head Ketut Suastika said on Saturday in Denpasar as quoted by Antara news wire.

Suastika said that three locations had been nominated as potential world cultural heritage sites, namely Pakerisan water catchment area in Gianyar, the rice paddy field area in Jatiluwih, Tabanan and the Taman Ayun temple in Badung.

“We have been intensively renovating those locations, and especially inviting the local community commitment to support the assessment process,” he said.

The results of the visit will be shared and discussed during the UNESCO assembly in June next year.

News Source: The Jakarta Post

I found this article when i was reading New York Times. check what Newyorkers would like to do in Bali!

MAYBE it was the topless women that the German painter Walter Spies captured in his lush landscapes of Bali during the 1930s. But ever since, foreigners have come to undress. Shirtless Australians, surfboards strapped to the side of their motorbikes, cruise around for the best waves. At five-star resorts, bronzed Italian women in tiny bikinis while away the days with wine. Farther inland, spiritual seekers wrapped in body-skimming sarongs commune in temples. The natives don’t go topless anymore, but that doesn’t stop the throngs of sunbathers who let it all hang out on Bali’s busiest beaches.

taken from New York Times

But even though they found a python slithering through the run-down house during their initial inspection, they fell in love with the overgrown elements of the property, which had once been used as an aviary.

“There was so little to choose from, so we opted to take it and renovate it,” Ms. Plecas said.

Good houses for sale are hard to find in inland Bali, amid the island’s picturesque landscape of jungles and rice paddies. Most new homes are either occupied by the owners or built specifically as rentals.

Older places tend to quickly fall victim to Bali’s severe tropical elements, unless they are painstakingly maintained.

“There is more and more product on the market but not necessarily a lot of good product,” said Zoë Rice, who works for Elite Havens, a Bali property agency.

Demand for inland properties has increased dramatically in recent years, primarily driven by foreigners from Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore, local property experts say.

Foreigners cannot own land in Bali, or elsewhere in Indonesia; they either have to lease or to buy through a local surrogate. Last year, the Indonesian government discussed loosening restrictions on foreign ownership, but no action was taken.

“There was not much international investment in Bali inland properties before year 2000,” said Ricky Wirapatria, general manager of the rental company Ranadi Villa and spokesman for the Bali Villa Association. “But I see during the past 10 years, international demand or interest has extremely increased.”

With villas hard to find, many foreigners opt to lease land and build new homes, said Jared Collins, a senior advisor with Ubud Property, a property company. Since 2005, the price for buildable land has nearly tripled in the Ubud region, fueled in large part by interest from foreigners, he said. Recently, the region has received a lot of publicity as one of the locations in Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling book “Eat, Pray, Love” and the 2010 movie starring Julia Roberts.

In Ubud, buying a one-are, or 100-square-meter, plot of buildable land in a rice field costs about 90 million to 180 million rupiah, or about $10,000 to $20,000, which is not the bargain some shoppers expect to find on the island.

To lease a property near Ubud generally costs about 1.1 million to 2.9 million rupiah per are a year, or $125 to $325, Mr. Collins said. Leases typically run for 20 to 25 years and are renewable for as long as 70 years.

“A lot of people who come here have the idea of prices from five to 10 years ago,” Mr. Collins said.

To Jonathan Pye, the scarcity of suitable homes was one of the Briton’s main reasons for buying a house near Ubud last year, a transaction he made through a surrogate. He said he viewed the purchase as a good investment, adding, “It didn’t seem feasible that prices would go down.”

After years living in Singapore, Mr. Pye and his wife, Louise, decided to settle on Bali to enroll their two daughters in the Green School, an environmentally focused private school primarily catering to expatriates, co-founded by the jeweler John Hardy.

Working with Mr. Collins, they paid the equivalent of about $350,000 for a five-bedroom home. “A lawyer in London wouldn’t want me to sign,” Mr. Pye said. “But this is the way it works, and you get as much protection as you can get.”

After buying the property, Mr. Pye learned there were other local customs he needed to follow. They had to meet the banjar, the leader of the local community, and arrange a series of blessings. “If it has been cursed, you can’t get staff to work on the house,” Mr. Pye said.

Ms. Plecas and Mr. Duffield were already experienced in the nuances of the Bali property market when they started shopping. In 2000, they had built Villa Bukit Naga, a seven-bedroom house in a river valley outside Ubud, which they now rent to travelers for $1,650 a night during peak season.

They later decided they wanted to be closer to Ubud and, after finding the run-down house, just a short walk from the town center, they paid the equivalent of $80,000 for the remaining four years on the lease. They spent four months, and another $80,000, to renovate.

The result is an open-style house with one large master bedroom set in a sprawling terraced garden. A small pool is steps from the living room. The aviary has been restored, and they are using it to rehabilitate injured birds.

“What really struck us, and continues to fill us with joy and wonder, are the beauty of the gardens and the sense that the property is a Garden of Eden,” Ms. Plecas said.

News Source : New York Times

Singapore is enjoying a cruise tourism boom and they need areas that the cruises can visit; one of them being Bali. From Bali they can explore eastern Indonesia, which has many potential marine tourist sites.

Cruise ship tourism was one of six sectors Indonesia and Singapore wished to develop together.

Other targets of bilateral cooperations include civil aviation, manpower, agribusiness, investments, and cooperation in the special economic zones of Batam, Bintan and Karimun; three Indonesian regions bordering with the city state.

On the agribusiness sector, the two countries had agreed that Indonesia would increase its vegetable and fruits exports to Singapore by 20 percent each year.

Source: Kompas

1. Alila Ubud and Alila Manggis, Bali, Indonesia (2nd on the list)

These two Alila Group eco resorts featured in Agoda’s Top 10 Eco-Friendly Asian Resorts for 2007. Alila Ubud was built in the style of an Indonesian hillside village while the Alila Manggis combines traditional Balinese architecture with contemporary design. Both resorts have policies to reduce their impact on the environment and each promotes Earth-friendly activities such as trekking, cycling and Balinese cooking lessons.

Agoda is Asia’s leading online hotel reservations company which recognizes resorts for their innovative environmental policies and practices. Agoda’s selection criteria for the list ensures the green policies at these top-rated eco-friendly hotels go beyond simply encouraging guests to reuse their linen or take shorter showers. Hotels are given extra credit for reducing their carbon footprint, empowering local communities and implementing green policies specific to their locations.

The next three resorts are taken from holidayswithkids.co.au. Holidays with Kids, Australia’s leading family travel and lifestyle magazine and website, helps parents to plan the family holiday of a lifetime, wherever you want to go in the world. these resorts are put in the list of top 10 family resorts in Asia. are you interested in visiting Bali with the whole family? these are the best places to stay!

1. Club Med Bali (1st)

Club Med Bali’s attention to detail, family-friendly atmosphere and its all-inclusive format make it a winner with Holidays with Kids readers. Located between a sandy beach and rice paddies, this property captures all the charm and serenity of Bali, with lotus ponds, Balinese-style bungalows and a palm-lined beach. Activities including trapeze lessons, dance and cooking classes also score highly with Australian families looking for a cultural experience in a beautiful, exotic location.

2. Bali Dynasty Resort (2nd)

Consistently popular with Australians, this beachfront property at South Kuta offers great value for money as well as a friendly, family-oriented atmosphere. The property has recently undergone a multi-million dollar renovation, and now offers six restaurants, an adults-only pool and a great kids’ pool complete with waterslide. Family suites are available as well as special Kids’ Suites complete with bunk beds; and children under 12 are free when sharing a room with their parents.

3. The Westin Resort, Nusa Dua (10th)

Combining the gentle hospitality of Bali with the highest standard of comfort, the Westin Resort in Bali is an enticing oasis. Popular with families is the Family Suite that provides two interconnecting bedrooms, with board games and PlayStation 2 a favourite with the kids. The children get to play in their own pool, complete with waterfall, while the Westin Kids’ Club will keep them busy all day long.

The last resort is Elephant Safari Lodge Park. Hotelscombined.com, the biggest hotel search engine in the world, has put this resort in the top 10 quirkiest hotels worldwide. This unusual hotel is the only Asian hotel on the list.

Situated directly in an elephant sanctuary, this safari-style lodge offers travelers an opportunity to interact, feed, ride, observe, learn, play and stay with 29 beautiful Sumatran elephants. Guests also enjoy elephant chauffeur pick up from rooms and free safari park access.

Elephant Safari Park Lodge Bali is a unique resort on the island of Bali set within 3.5 hectares of the multi award winning Elephant Safari Park, Taro. The Elephant Safari Park Lodge is located just 20 minutes north from the islands cultural and artistic centre of Ubud and 75 minutes north of Ngurah Rai Airport in the historic village of Taro.

anyway, there are still a lot of resorts in Bali that passed the requirements of best hotels in the world. here are the names of the hotel which listed in several polls in Smart Travel Asia,  the region’s only dedicated online travel magazine with over one million readers worldwide.

Top 25 Spa Hotels & Resorts

• 3. Bulgari Resort Bali
• 4. Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay
• 6. AYANA Resort and Spa, Bali
• 9. Grand Hyatt Bali
• 16. The Royal Pita Maha, Bali
• 17. InterContinental Bali Resort
• 19. COMO Shambhala Estate at Begawan Giri, Bali
• 21. Hotel Tugu Bali.

Top 25 Leisure Hotels & Resorts

• 4. Bulgari Resort Bali
• 4. Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay
• 5. Grand Hyatt Bali
• 5. The Legian Bali
• 7. Amandari, Bali
• 7. Amankila, Bali
• 12. Amanusa, Bali
• 19. InterContinental Bali Resort
• 21. The Chedi Club at Tanah Gajah, Ubud
• 22. Conrad Bali
• 23. Alila Ubud, Bali
• 25. The Oberoi, Bali

News Sources: Travel Guide to Koh Samui, Agoda, Holiday With Kids, Hotels Combined, Smart Travel Asia

Photo Sources: Hotel Hhatter, Global Easy Tour, ocbc.com.sg, Balistarisland.com, Bali-Indonesia.com, Triasbali.com

In an October performance at a West Village club, its musicians sat cross-legged behind an array of glittering bronze percussion instruments on the black basement floor, a linoleum surface one suspects began as some other color.

Pool-playing patrons sat next to more sober listeners on beer-stained sofas.

It might seem far from Bali in spirit, but the music’s spectacular brightness attracted a rogue dog, something you might encounter in any temple courtyard.

Home for Dharma Swara is not Indonesia itself, but rather its consulate in New York.

That converted town house has a basketball court’s worth of hardwood on which to rehearse. Membership in the group is open to anyone.

The set of instruments — gongs, xylophones, drums and flutes — accommodates about 20 players.

Some are Balinese, but most are not.

The ensemble serves both to promote Balinese music and dance and, in a practical sense, to support diplomatic events.

The performers are roving diplomats themselves.

In addition to sundry clubs and concert halls, they have performed on the carpets of the United Nations, in the lobbies of museums, at college auditoriums and in the gardens of private patrons.

A flurry of dates last year helped raise money for a summer tour of Bali.

Last Sunday the group celebrated the release of its first album, a double CD set titled “Gamelan Dharma Swara,” with a concert in Greenwich Village.

An offering dance, a traditional form of temple worship performed with a nimble trio of women, honored the audience in a shower of flower petals.

The program also featured Pan Wandres’s Kebyar Legong (1914), a 30-minute tour de force with such explosive shifts of mood and tempo that few groups try to perform it — even in Bali.

The sound of gamelan ensembles, which have distinct Javanese and Balinese forms, became known to Western classical music connoisseurs through Debussy, Ravel and other composers who found its tonalities novel and inspiring.

In the 1930s, a young Canadian named Colin McPhee (1900-64) began drawing on gamelan’s interlocking melodic patterns in his own music, and his works and a later book of research became reference points for Balinese music in the West.

“In some ways Colin McPhee had the wrong impression of Balinese music,” said Pak I Nyoman Saptanyana, Dharma Swara’s artistic director since 2001.

“He preserved the older forms at the expense of all the new 20th-century styles. He didn’t see this as a living tradition that should continue to evolve.”

As in McPhee’s time, Balinese music continues to be swept up in romantic fantasies of the primitive and exotic, which Westerners frequently confuse with authenticity.

“Bali still serves as an icon of the mysterious premodern East,” said Andrew McGraw, the executive director of Dharma Swara.

“It satisfies a neo-liberal nostalgia for community and spirituality.

“Gamelan in the US is as much, if not more, a story about us than an accurate representation of Indonesian culture.”

It’s a story told by scores of gamelan ensembles across North America, many of which trace their roots to Mantle Hood, a pioneering ethnomusicologist who believed that scholars should learn to perform the traditions that they study.

In 1958 he started the first US-based gamelan at the University of California, Los Angeles, and trained the leaders of a hundred more.

At least that many ensembles exist today, on college campuses and as community groups like Dharma Swara.

Although the roster changes from year to year, Dharma Swara tends to include both emerging and established talents on the new music scene.

Recent members include the bagpiper Matt Welch (Blarvuster), the trombonist and instrument builder Richard Marriott (Club Foot Orchestra) and the percussionist Michael Lipsey (Talujon), who starts his own gamelan ensemble at Queens College in January.

“The learning process makes you use your brain in a completely different way,” said flutist Jessica Schmitz, co-director of the Asphalt Orchestra.

New pieces are taught by rote without notation, which requires deep understanding of musical structure as well as attention to detail. Because multiple parts combine to create a single melody, players depend on one another to rehearse as well as perform.

Saptanyana also notes that half the members are composers, some of whom have contributed to Dharma Swara’s repertory.

During Dharma Swara’s Balinese tour, audiences applauded wildly for an original work by McGraw, “Sikut Sanga,” which appropriates swaths of melody from “New York, New York” and “A Night in Tunisia.”

Next week one work will be a world premiere, by Saptanyana’s 18-year-old son, Putu, who performs on multiple instruments.

“I brainstormed using all the music I’ve ever heard and picked some ideas that I liked,” said Putu Saptanyana, who has spent as much time around New York City as in his Balinese village, Ubud.

As the audience ponders its intricately layered pulse and shimmer, few would suspect that the young composer does his most intensive listening to gamelan while he plays his Xbox 360.

News Source : The New York Time, The Jakarta Globe

Photo Source : dharmaswara.org

Several tennis players who just competed in Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions, an international tennis tournament held in Bali, say that they had a good time in Bali. check the story,

Bali made sure its high-profile guests from the WTA would have good reason to remember their stay on the Island of the Gods.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind tournament,” Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova said. “I hope I can come back here for a vacation, or I hope I can qualify here again next year.”

Ana Ivanovic, whose matches drew the biggest crowd at the Bali Convention Center, will surely remember her time in Nusa Dua.

On the eve of Sunday’s final, organizers held a charity dinner to benefit the Bali Smile Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides medical assistance to people with craniofacial disabilities.

Among the items auctioned off was a ceramic plate signed by all the players participating in the Tournament of Champions, Ivanovic’s outfit from last month’s Beijing tournament and T-shirts donated by Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.

News Source : The Jakarta Globe

Photo Source : cirdoc, live tennis,

This also happen to Neal Adams. Adams, a painter from London, first visited Ubud in 1998. He sensed something unique about the town, and finally taking up permanent residence there in 2003.

Adams has found a spiritual place which full of inspiration in his home, surrounded by green rice fields and fog-shrouded mountains of Ubud. He said, “I adored sitting in gardens but preferred to be within the depths of a forest with a pencil and sketch pad, to be in its silence, surrounded by its energy, I had a sense of calm.”

His works are regularly traded at Masterpiece Auction House in Jakarta and each October, he exhibits his paintings in sold-out shows at the JL Gallery Modern Art & Design in California.  In Ubud, his works can be viewed at Orgone Gallery on Jalan Raya, Sanggingan, just up the road from Mozaic Restaurant.

News Source: The Jakarta Globe

Photo Source: The Jakarta Globe

One among many patients who is having himself treated in Bali is Jim Stynes, an Australian Football legend. After spending a couple weeks in Bali, Jim is surely getting better than before. If the therapy doesn’t dismiss all the cancer, at least it cured some of old sporting injuries he had, which was something western medicine couldn’t do. Balinese smoke and massage is the first traditional treatment he got, and he’s now feeling the best he had since he was diagnosed.

FOOTY legend Jim Stynes has spent the past week undergoing smoke and massage therapy in Indonesia to treat his cancer.

Business partner Hugh Ellis said Stynes was looking and feeling the best he had since he was diagnosed 18 months ago.

Bali: World’s Best Island

For many years, Bali consistently ranked as the world’s best island in the prestigious poll, slipping momentarily in the 2008 polling to the number two slot. However, the 2009 Travel + Leisure survey has returned Bali to the coveted #1 spot, followed by Galapagos, which displaced Bali in the 2008 rankings.

Source: www.balidiscovery.com

Foreign tourist arrival to Bali in April 2009 totaled 179,879 representing the best April on record for Bali tourism and 21.94% improvement over April 2008 (147,515).

View cumulatively, the first four months of 2009 saw 645,061 foreign tourists come to Bali, an increase of 8.15% when compared to the same period last year (596,469).

As predicted by balidiscovery.com, April 2009 also saw the historical unseating of Japan by Australia from its top-ranking as the largest source market for Bali. Through the end of the first four months of 2009 Australian arrivals totaled 102,179 – increasing 30.08% as compared to the same period in 2008. Meanwhile, reflecting their troubled national economy, Japanese visitors decreased 7.45% for the first 4 months of 2009.

Similarly, South Korea, which is traditionally Bali #3 source market, declined to a #5 ranking as that nation’s economy faltered and arrivals dipped 5.62% over the first four months of 2009. Taiwan which has long been Bali’s #4 market, is now relegated to the #7 position.

The Winners
Markets clocking improvements for the period January-April were: Australia (+30.08%), People’s Republic of China (+54.03), Malaysia (+37.70%). Russia (+4.75%), The Netherlands (+0.42%) and France (+25.32%).

The Losers
The markets in decline for Bali over the first four months of 2009 were; Japan (-7.45%), Taiwan (-23.24%), South Korea (-5.62%), U.S.A. (-1.80%), Germany (-11.66%) and the United Kingdom (-6.50%).

Source BaliDiscovery.com

Pic from Ngurah Rai International Airport.

I bet there are still hundreds, or even thousands, of islands in Indonesian archipelago that would be the next best island, only if they were as well-known as Bali. Check out Lombok, Sikuai Island, and some other natural islands! Don’t be surprised if soon in the future the list of 10 Best Islands would be all Indonesian’s.

Credit: Thanks to Anak Indonesia for the tip.

In the midst of a very uncertain business climate internationally, that Bali has managed to record its best-ever opening quarter ever is remarkable, contradicting – at least for now – pundits prophesizing a collapse of Bali’s overseas travel markets.

Bali’s salvation remains it steady source of regional travelers coming from the Asia-Pacific and Asia. During Q1 2009, tourists hailing from the Asian-Pacific region increased 4.89%, while ASEAN visitors increased 19.91%. Meanwhile, reflecting the sluggish economies of Europe and the Americas, total visitors from those markets decreased 3.56% and -3.12%, respectively, during Q1 2009.

• With the exception of a dip in arrivals during February 2009, monthly arrivals for January and March registered strong growth over 2008. February’s lackluster performance may be traceable to the lack of any major holiday falling within that month that might have otherwise bolstered regional arrivals.

• Cumulative arrivals over the first three months of 2009 improved from Australia (+25.92%), the People’s Republic of China (+39.99%), Malaysia (+19.89%), Russia (+6.33%), the Netherlands (+2.96%), and France (+19.36%). Meanwhile, market “losers” recording decreased numbers for Q1 2009 included Japan (-11.59%), Taiwan (-24%), South Korean (-8.81%), U.S.A. (-7.9%), Germany (-19.35%) and the United Kingdom (-17.83%).

Changing economic fortunes are also seeing a shift in the hierarchy of key markets to Bali.

At least for now, Japan remains the top market source to Bali followed by Australia in number the number two rank. If, however, Australia numbers remain buoyant and Japanese numbers continue to decrease, look for Australia to take over Japan’s traditional role as Bali’s top producing market ranking. Japan’s toppling from the top position could happen as early as April or May, if current trends persist. Remember the Bali travel warning issued by Australia?

A new player in Bali’s top 5 producing markets is the People’s Republic of China, now ranked at the number 3 post, eyeing a chance to become number 2 as the year progresses. In the number four ranking is Malaysia. South Korea and Taiwan who have traditional been Bali’s third and fourth largest source markets are now some distance back in the pack, involved in a neck-on-neck battle for fifth and sixth place.

The prestigious Conde Nast Traveller “The Hot List 2009” also published the 70 top new hotels operating around the world. Two Indonesian hotels managed to make the “The Hot List 2009″, which happened to be the same hotels as rated by Forbes.

St Regis, Bali

Indonesia’s St Regis Bali, and Hotel Tugu Lombok, have successfully impressed the 400 travel experts. The St Regis has successfully transplanted their famously high level of service from an urban surrounding to a beachside environment, while Hotel Tugu used its owner’s collection of Indonesian antiques to decorate the property, even the guest rooms. It’s a strategy that’s worked for him before, notably at the Tugu Bali, which was among  the Forbes Traveler 400 last year.

Hotel Tugu, Lombok

Travel Warning: Book Early!

Bucking the current worldwide downturn in travel, Australians continue to flock to Bali seeking value for money. Australian travelers to Bali during the first two months of 2009 totaled 48,068 a 34.64% increase over totals for the same period in 2008 (35,701).According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, overseas travel by Australians has shrunk by 2% since August 2008. Indonesia and Bali, however, have bucked this downward trend with travel booming despite unfavorable travel warnings issued from Department of Foreign Affairs. Underlining the migration of travelers to a destination identified for “value for money,” Australian holidaymakers coming to Indonesia have overtaken figures for those traveling to the U.S.A., Britain and Thailand. Indonesia has become the 2nd most popular holiday destination after New Zealand for Australians traveling abroad.

Quoted in The Age, the Australian marketing coordinator for Garuda Indonesia explained the surge in Bali travel by commenting, “it’s because it’s affordable… many people who might have gone further afield will go to Bali instead.”

The Age article also underlined how Garuda, is adding flights between Australia and Bali while airlines are curtailing service in other areas of the world. That article also reports that bookstores have run out of travel guides to Indonesia, “even though the Government warns us to reconsider your need to travel there.”

Source: Balidiscovery.com