Jeffry Kairupan, the head of Bank Indonesia in Bali, said interim figures for Q4 of 2012 remains strong, reliant primarily on the transportation and service sectors. Current indications are that Bali will end the year achieving growth  of between 6.16-6.65%.

According to Kairupan, Q3 2011 economic results for Bali improved slightly over Q2.

Q3 2011 also saw strong consumer demand, albeit slightly reduced from Q2. Consumers spent well in Q3, driven to do so by the high number of religious festivals and holidays. Celebrations tied to the end of the academic year were also seen to have stimulated people in Bali to go shopping.

Meanwhile, the vice-chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (Kadin) in Bali, Dolly Sutajaya, sad that the macro-economic woes in Europe and Greece, although worrisome, have yet to had any effect in Bali.

The Chairman of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) for Bali, Panudiana Kuhn, told the press that Bali’s economy continues to expand in concert with the development of the island’s infrastructure. Adding, “at this time, Bali’s economy is impeded by delayed infrastructure development, particularly as regards public facilities.”

Public facilities, such as roadways and airport are frustrating efforts to expand Bali’s economy, claimed Kuhn. He said roadways in Bali are too small and cause traffic jams. “The airport for Bali, found only in the south, is hampering the economic expansion of Bali’s north,” he explained.

Kuhn also complained that a complicated and confusing regulatory environment make it unclear who can authorize major infrastructure projects, citing problems encountered by toll ways and airport projects currently being pursued in Bali.

On the photo showing from left to right: Mr. Adrian Forsyth ( General Manager of Bali Garden Beach Resort), Caterina Castellanos (General Manager Marketing TUV Rheinland),  Nicolas Pitet (Deputy General Manager) Mr Stefan Mueller (Resort Manager)

Bali Garden Beach Resort has been certified as an Eco Hotel by the prestigious TUV Rheinland Germany, in recognition of its commitment to reduce its carbon footprint through environmentally sustainable practices on 7th November 2011.

Comment from Mr. Adrian Forsyth General Manager of Bali Garden Beach Resort during the certification handover ceremony on the 30th of November 2011 at their hotel gardens.

“We are very pleased with the support and advice we have been given by TUV Rheinland to improve the many areas we have been working on from recycling of garbage to reduction in energy usage. I am also proud that the staff have realized the importance of being eco friendly and hopefully they will take the ideals we have established in the hotel back to the home and the village. The certification is only the beginning and we do hope that in thefuture we will be able to do even more in the way of re forestation with tree plantings, usage of renewable energy sources such as solar panels and development of organic foods for the restaurants.”

After TUV Rheinland conducted their audit over a 2 year time frame, including a thorough site inspection, documentation review, interviews with staff and management, and implementation of an action plan.

The final audit found Bali Garden Beach Resort met all requirements of ecological operations as per TUV Rheinland standards, in relation to the following areas: Organization and Objectives, Purchasing, Safety of Hazardous Substances, Water & Waste Management, Office Supplies, Facilities & Surroundings, Energy Management and Safety.

More Melbourne Cup Action in Bali

(10/23/2011)

Whether you reside on the eastern or western side of Bali, there’s now no excuse for not joining in on the festivities celebrating the annual running of Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, November 1, 2011.

Punters and celebrants can take their pick between race parties in Bali being held at the Canggu Club or the Sanur Paradise Plaza Hotel.

Each event will be celebrated in “Melbourne Race Style” with appropriate dress and hats, liquid libations, food, entertainment, prizes and live coverage of the race at 12 noon from Flemington Racecourse in Victoria.

We’re including the flyers from both events to help race enthusiasts pick their preferred position in a Bali grandstand from which to watch the race action.

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(2/13/2010) The National news agency Antara reports that a leading academic at Bali’s Udayana University has expressed the concern that if Bali’s tourism industry is left uncontrolled it will affect the delicate balance of local agriculture.

Professor Dr. I Wayan Windia, Dean of the agricultural faculty said, “fast growing tourism is feared to eventually consume agricultural lands for the construction of tourism facilities.” The professor is also concerned over the growing competition for drinking water and irrigation water together with the steady shift of labor from agricultural pursuits to tourism work.

On the positive side, Professor Dr. Windia admits the employment opportunities in tourism are helping to absorb Bali’s local workers who are increasingly faced with little prospects of gainful employment within the agricultural sector.

© Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com. All images and graphics are copyright protected.

Balinese New Year, known as Nyepi, is a strict Hindu custom that will take place this year from 6:00am on Tuesdy 16 March 2010 until 6:00am Wednesday 17 March 2010. The day is set aside for silence, fasting, meditation and self-reflection. Although Nyepi is primarily a Hindu holiday, non-Hindu residents of Bali observe the day of silence as well, out of respect for their fellow citizens.

Authorities require that all people in Bali stay indoors, make no noise and switch off all lights for the duration of this period. The island shuts down, the airport is closed for domestic and international passenger flights, and tourists are expected to stay inside their hotels. Harbours around Bali will also be closed.

Anyone found outside during the silent period could be forcibly returned to their homes or hotels by ‘Pecalangs’, the island’s traditional village-level security officers. Exemptions on movement will only be provided to emergency service vehicles and personnel.

Foreigners in Bali are being urged to be sensitive and to strictly observe local custom to avoid giving offence.

(12/20/2008) The ratification of a new national tourism law is predicted to bring disaster for some sectors of Indonesia’s tourism industry. Bisnis.com quotes Cheppy Wartono, a member of Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) hailing from the Indonesian People’s Democratic Party for Struggle Party (PDIP) who criticized the failure of the new law to adopt a holistic understanding the tourism industry, particularly as regard the establishment and funding of the new Tourism Promotion Board.

Despite the adoption of the new tourism law by all the political factions represented in the DPR, Wartono told the press of his intention to join members form five political factions in filing a formal note of dissent due to the uneven quality of the new law and the failure to include many suggested enhancements in the final draft of the legislation.

Wartono is taking issue with the section of the new law which establishes a new Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board (BPPI). The law calls for the BPPI to be funded from non-budgetary sources, a fact that Wartono sees as reflecting a certain ambivalence on the part of the government, leaving the funding of the new promotion authority in limbo.

Explaining his displeasure further, Wartono said: “My first objection is that the Department of Tourism is not a strategic department of the government, which means if there is a change of government, it (tourism) can be again placed under the Coordinating Minister of the People’s Welfare. Thus, how can we create the BPPI only to see the department possibly eliminated in the future and the BPPI disintegrating due to the lack of committed funding by the government.”

He told Bisnis.com that the new law shows a desire on the part of the government to create a tourism promotion board while at the same time demonstrating a lack of firm commitment to develop a sector of the economy that contributes taxes worth Rp. 52 trillion (US$4.7 billion) and generates Rp. 90 trillion (US$8.1 billion) in much needed foreign exchange.

Wartono bemoaned the fact that despite the discovery a holistic formula for funding using provincial tax resources during legislative consideration of the bill, the government ended up creating a new agency without any financial clout.

Cheppy Wartono also said he disagreed with the decision to give full power to the Minister of Culture and Tourism to appoint the head of the BPPI. According to Wartono, the Minister should propose candidates who would undergo a fit and proper review by the House of Representatives before final appointment by the President.

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(12/6/2008) Garuda Indonesia will add 29,737 sears over the coming Christmas and New Year’s holiday in order to handle the expected rush of travelers.

According to Bisnis.com, the extra seats will come on line beginning December 22, 2008 until January 4, 2009.

The additional capacity will be added on the following routes:

? Jakarta-Denpasar (18,650 seats)

? Jakarta-Makassar (1,248 seats)

? Jakarta-Singapore (1,024 seats)

? Jakarta-Hong Kong (3,516 seats)

? Denpasar (Bali)-Singapore (898 seats)

? Denpasar (Bali)-Surabaya (854 seats)

Garuda plans to provide the additional capacity by either adding additional flights (20,120 seats) or using larger aircraft (9,617 seats) on existing flight departures.

Garuda will also deploy special problem-solving and passenger-service teams at main flight centers to immediately address any service bottlenecks that may arise.
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(12/6/2008) Sanctioned by both the Asian and European golfing tours, the Indonesia Golf Tour moves to Bali February 26-March 1, 2009.

Slated to be held at Bali’s New Kuta Golf Resort on Bali’s Bukit Peninsula, competitors will be treated to panoramas over Balangan Beach and the Indian Ocean.

The latest addition to the island’s impressive list of golfing venues, the New Kuta course was designed by Golf Plan USA and is the first links style golf course in Indonesia. The 72 par course measures 7,500 yards.

The Bali event takes place immediately after the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth, Western Australia.

The first Indonesian Open was held in 2005 and has a proven ability to attract top-ranked golfing talent. Previous winners were Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant (2005), England’s Simon Dyson (2006), Finland’s Mikko Ilonen (2007) and as Chile’s Felipe Aguilar (2008).

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Despite Rising Fuel Costs, Domestic Tourism Expected to Grow 15% in 2008.  

Bisnis Indonesia predicts that domestic tourism totals to Bali will grow by 15% in 2008, in part due to the unprecedented surge of local tourist coming to the Island during the current school holiday period.