InterContinental Bali Resort has announced two senior appointments to their team.

Gindo Sinaturi

Gindo Sianturi has been appointed Director of Food and Beverage

Gindo has more than 15 years of hospitality experience and has held key positions with luxury hotel brands including Four Seasons and Hyatt in South East Asia region. Most recently, Gindo was with The Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort, Langkawi, where he was Director of Food and Beverage.

Dewi Trisnawati

Dewi Trisnawati takes on the role of Director of Sales.

Passionate about travel and environmental issues, Dewi joins InterContinental Bali Resort following a stint as Director of Sales & Marketing for Oberoi Hotels & Resorts Indonesia.

Bisnis Bali quotes the chairman of the Bali Chapter of the Indonesian Conference and Convention Association (INCCA), I.B. Surakusuma (Lolec), as saying that the 6.8 earthquake experienced by Bali on October 23, 2011, should serve as a reminder to the tourism industry and the people of Bali that a system to handle natural earthquakes and the possibility of tsunamis is needed.

Saying God still smiled on Bali, Lolec said Bali was indeed lucky that it suffered no deaths as a result of the October earthquake. At the same time, he reminded that most of Bali’s conference and convention facilities are located next to shorelines making them vulnerable to earthquakes and resulting tsunamis. Because of this, Bali has a moral responsibility to have a risk management program in place for such natural disasters. Hotels and conference facilities must have managers and staff members who have been trained in what steps to take to protect guests in the event of a major earthquake. At the same time, the government must also have in place reliable information and warning systems to provide the earliest possible warning to the public.

The head of Bali Disaster Management Office (Pusdalops PB), Putu Anom Agustina, warns that Bali is very close to the fault zone between the Indo-Australian and Eurasia plates. If these plates begin to move, a potential for major earthquakes and tsunamis exists on a scale with the devastating earthquake experienced in Aceh, North Sumatra.

Unfortunately, admitted Agustina, earthquakes cannot be predicted in advance but only studied together after the fact. On the plus side, however, tsunamis can be detected in advance and warnings to the public issued.

To warn the public of an approaching tsunami six warning sirens have installed along Bali’s southern shore located at Tanjung Benoa, Kedonganan, Kuta, Seminyak, Sanur and Nusa Dua.

The Meteorology, Climate and Geophysics Agency (BMKG)  and the Bali Disaster Management Office are monitoring earthquakes and potential tsunamis via seismographic buoys, tide gauges, global positioning systems and satellite imaging systems. When an earthquake occurs in the region, the threat of a tsunami is instantaneously assessed and this information is shared with the general public via TV, radio, telephone alerts, facsimile, emails, SMS and the tsunami alarm system.

Agustina said tourism industry members working near shorelines should be on the alert for signs of an imminent tsunami. The natural signs warning of an imminent tsunami include the sudden receding of the shoreline, unusual smells resembling rotten fish, thunderous sounds and the sudden appearance of off-breeze winds. In many cases, animals near a shoreline about to be hit by a tsunami have been known to suddenly  become restless and seek higher grounds.

Any of these signs or the sounding of the tsunami alarm should serve as a cue to immediately evacuate away from the shoreline, following tsunami escape signs already installed by disaster agency officials

The Meteorology, Climate and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) in Denpasar, Bali are forecasting that by late November 2011, 80% of the island of Bali will have entered the annual rainy season.

Quoted in the National News Agency Antara, the head of the information and data section of the BMKG, Endro Cahyono, said, “until the end of October only 50% of Bali is experiencing the rainy season.

The areas of Bali already considered to be in the rainy season are the island’s highlands, including Bedugul, Tabanan and Kintamani. Other areas of Bali by the end of October have have yet to begin the “wet” season.

The regions which will begin to receive steady rainfall by late November are Denpasar, Badung regency and the Jembrana regency.

Australia’s Strategic Airlines have announced plans to rebrand and re-launch themselves as new budget carrier serving Australian domestic and regional destinations.

“Air Australia” – the name of the soon-to-be-launched airline, will sport a green and gold livery – colors considered to be iconic in Australian sports.

Air Australia is expected to take flight before the end of 2011.

Strategic Airline will abandon its current name and branding. Gone also will be the “full service” model of passenger service, ditched as the airline will now go after the lower-fared budget class traveler.

In terms of overseas destinations, Air Australia will initially focus on Phuket, Bali and Hawaii

Strategic Airline commenced operations in 1991 with airfreight brokering business developing into a charter operator, before embarking in more recent years into scheduled passenger air services.

The announcement of Strategic’s new business plan as Air Australia comes at a unique juncture in Australia’s aviation history. Air industry stalwart Qantas, besieged with labor problems that grounded the entire airline in October, is claiming it cannot remain economically viable with its current business model in the midst of intense competition from budget carriers in the region.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. have announced an agreement with PT Tiara Raya, owned by the Indonesian Ristia Group, to develop Le Méridien Bali – Jimbaran.

Known during its project development stage as Ristia Resort, the agreement means the hotel scheduled to open in mid-2012 will be rebranded to a Le Méridien resort under the management of Starwood Hotels & Resorts

“We are excited to announce our collaboration with Starwood on Le Méridien Bali – Jimbaran project. We believe that our distinctive design and location is the perfect fit for Le Méridien. It will be a great success,” said Richard Wiriahardja, Chairman of Ristia Group.

“We are delighted to announce the signing of Le Méridien Bali – Jimbaran. I am confident that this ceremony marks the beginning of our fruitful partnership with Ristia,” says Chuck Abbott, Regional Vice President, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Southeast Asia. “The development of Le Méridien Bali will add onto our strong presence in Southeast Asia and re-establish Le Méridien brand in Bali. We are confident that together with Ristia, we will make Le Méridien Bali a great success.”

The Le Méridien brand disappeared from Bali in April 2010 when the 278-room Nirwana Resort severed tied with Starwood and the Le Méridien brand, moving to management by Pan Pacific Hotels. [See: Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort Opens]
 
The New Jimbaran property is located in the village of Jimbaran – approximately half way between the Bali InterContinental Resort and the Four Season’s Resort at Jimbaran Bay. The property will feature a three-storey restaurant and bar, a rooftop sunset lounge, a lagoon swimming pool, full service spa, fitness center and 200 square meters of meeting space.

The Le Méridien Bali – Jimbaran will offer 123 suites, including 28 Aqua Sites, four rooftop villas and four penthouse suites.

The October 29, 2011 edition of The Australian carried an article [Happy Hours in Bali]  listing Bali’s best watering holes in the opinion of journalist Susan Kurosawa.

The pubs getting the nod from Ms. Kurosawa in Bali were:

• Rock Bar, Ayana Resort and Spa, Bali  Jimbaran
• Ku De Ta, Seminyak
• W Retreat & Spa Bali, Seminyak – Woo Bar
• Potato Head, Seminyak
• Naughty Nuri's, Canggu
• InterContinental Bali Resort, Jimbaran – Sunset Bar

The article also includes a cautionary warning on the dangers of imbibing local arak-based drinks.

The Dewa Ruci Underpass project, originally scheduled to commence construction in mid-November 2011 in order to complete its estimated 18-month construction period in time for the APEC Summit in 2013, may be delayed due to unresolved land acquisition issues.

Beritabali.com reports that three plots of land owned by three separate owners, who are currently abroad, are needed for the road project to go ahead. The three remaining land owners have yet to enter into negotiations with the government for the transfer of their lands to the State.

The secretary of Commission III of the Bali House of Representatives (DPRD-Bali), I Gusti Made Suryanta Putra, on Thursday, November 3, 2011, expressed the concern that the failures to acquire all the needed land in a timely manner may delay the project, seen as critical to helping Bali overcome its growing traffic congestion problem.

Suyanta told the press that the three property owners have principally agreed that their land can be used for building the proposed underpass, although these discussions have only taken place over the telephone.

Added Suyanta: "In this regard, the Badung regional government must quickly find a solution. If, in a short period of time, the land status for the three property owners is still not clear then meetings will be held with the owners abroad.”

The Dewa Ruci Underpass Project

Once construction does begin, initial work will involve the widening of the current roadway on Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai to the north and south of the Dewa Ruci monument.

When the widening of the current roadway is completed, cement retaining walls will be built below ground level running 400 meters to the north and 400 meters to the south.

The use of retaining walls is being done to anticipate a possible inundation of ground water that, should it occur, will be pumped out through the use of stand-by pumping stations.

When completed, the tunnels built for the underpass will stretch some 800 meters with a width of 18 meters and a height of 5.2 meters. According the developers, the position of the actual underpass will be precisely at the middle of the current Bypass.

The construction of the new underpass will consume Rp. 179 billion (US$19.8 million) including Rp. 50 billion (US$5.5 million) for land acquisition covering 6.2 hectares of land. Extrapolated that's the equivalent of an average Rp. 806 million (US$89,600) per are.

An are of land is equal to 100 square meters of land.

The tenders for the construction of the project have reportedly been awarded meaning that once land issues are resolved construction can begin immediately.

Following a threat from Bali’s Provincial Tourism Office that travel agents found to be employing unlicensed tour guides face having their operating licenses withdrawn, that same office has told Bisnis Bali that they have yet to find a licensed agency guilty of such an infraction.

The Tourism Law of 2010 stipulates that licensed travel agents must only use licensed guides in the conduct of tours. The law specifically states that the sanction for employing unlicensed guides can result in loss of a business license after the issuance of three warning letters.

Once the business licenses has been withdrawn, the law also stipulate that companies that continue to carry on business can be sentenced to jail for 6 months and fined between Rp. 30 – 60 million.

The Provincial Tourism Office, however, admits that during a 9-month-long sweep that captured 40 unlicensed guides no licensed travel agents were found to be involved in the subject cases.

The Tourism office on the average makes 8 sweeps each month seeking unlicensed guides at tourist sites and visits at least 6 travel agents to check on their paperwork.

Recently arrived Chef de Cuisine at Dava in the AYANA Resort and Spa Bali, Jusman So [See: In Bali: Just So!] , has unveiled a new a la carte menu that brings together some of the most celebrated dishes from his extraordinary culinary career.

The modern French-Asian menu features some of the most popular dishes from Chef Jusman's menu at Sage - the 40-seat fine dining restaurant he founded to critical acclaim in his native Singapore. Sage, which Jusman closed before taking up his role at Dava, was nominated 'Best New Restaurant' at the World Gourmet Summit 2008.

In that same year, Jusman was also named “Best Rising Chef,” saw his establishment named as one of Singapore’s Best Restaurants by Singapore Tatler magazine, and also named on the prestigious Miele List for 2010.

At Dava, Chef Jusman has now introduced some of his most acclaimed dishes, enhanced in Bali by using local flavors and only the best available ingredients. “Some of the dishes are similar to what I was serving at Sage but with some new tweaks," he explained.

Jusman continued: "For example, I brought back the Duck Confit and Escargots but made some changes. These were the dishes that brought a lot of my guests at Sage back time and again."

Jusman is also busily preparing to host fellow Singaporean, celebrity chef Justin Quek from The Sky on 57, as a guest chef at Dava for three nights December 27-29, 2011.

“I am very excited to work with Justin Quek, he is probably the most respected and popular chef in Singapore, so working with him will be a privilege,” Jusman said. During this engagement Dava will offer a nightly degustation menu created by Justin Quek in addition to Jusman's a la carte menu.

The new a la carte dinner menu follows the launch of his nightly degustation menu in July, which offers 4- and 6-course menus for more 'adventurous' diners. Said Jusman: “Dava gives me the freedom to create my own masterpiece, a platform to do what I really enjoy doing. Every dish on this new menu complements each other, and the whole menu defines my personal style of cooking and presentation.”

Highlights of Jusman So’s New a la carte menu.

Dava – AYANA Resort and Spa

Escargot
Escargot and mushroom fricassee with basil pesto and tomato fondue, deep-fried soft center egg and sweet onion cream

Wagyu Beef Cheek
Wagyu beef cheek crusted with duxelle mushrooms and onion confit, pureed and pickled of beetroot with pine nuts

Agnolotti (Vegetarian)
Pumpkin and pistachio agnolotti with roasted beet root and pineapple carpaccio, golden chanterelle and garden greens

Lamb Shank
Slow cooked grain fed lamb shank with olive tapenade and ratatouille, potato galette, garlic crisps and thyme jus

The seeds of Big Tree Farms were first sown in1998 on Ben and Blair Ripple’s mountain farm in the highlands of Bali.

Their focus over the years has remained unwavering. Big Tree Farms operates a sustainable supply chain of organic food production stretching across 10 islands of Indonesia. Working closely with local faming communities, Big Tree Farms maintains extensive and intensive relationships with their producers who become part of the Big Tree family – sharing dreams and visions for a better, sustainable future based on organic agricultural production.

Big Tree Farms, with a decade of experience supporting sustainable agriculture for smallholders in Indonesia, is now opening its international headquarters in Sibang, Bali on November 11, 2011.

The soaring bamboo headquarters - one of largest bamboo structures on earth - brings together cutting-edge food technology with indigenous foods and products. This impressive facility will be a important addition to Bali serving as a center for community meetings, training and sustainable design.

The new headquarters in Sibang will house the administration of Big Tree Farm's archipelago-wide agricultural activities. It will also include areas for processing, warehousing, an event centre, commercial kitchen and a retail showroom.

Big Tree Farms is renowned for making some of the world’s highest integrity raw cacao products, coconut palm sugar and raw cashews and is taking this expertise to the next level with the introduction of a full chocolate factory. The facility will be home to the first commercial centre in the region to produce highest quality chocolate from organic beans grown by certified small farms across Indonesia. Big Tree Farms will offer tours of the chocolate-making process and feature a full choco-inspired café for those who want to sample raw cacao and other organic treats.

“The facility is truly a remarkable feat in architectural design and execution, not only from the perspective of esthetic beauty, but also in the science of engineering and the celebration of traditional carpentry,” explains Big Tree Farms founder and co-CEO Ben Ripple. “With this facility, we hope to break a box of what has been perceived as "not possible". Our goal is to show the world that a large-scale commercial building can be built from bamboo -- a highly sustainable material -- and that it can be beautiful, efficient and practical in terms of a production facility, supportive of a creative and inspiring work environment for our employees and a welcoming space for all our visitors to come see the magic that is Big Tree Farms.”

The facility opens on November 11with a party, music and raw chocolate treats.

Visit the website for a complete list of find products offered by Big Tree Farms. [Big Tree Farm Website] 

The people of Bali were momentarily shocked when a 5.2 earthquake shook the island at 10:59 p.m. on Friday night, November 4, 2011.

Substantially less intense that the 6.8 earthquake which struck off Bali’s southern shore on October 13, 2011, [See: Bali Shaken by Earthquake],  the most recent event was centered about 67 kilometers southeast of Nusa Dua, Bali at a depth of around 70 kilometers.

Relatively mild in comparison to the quake two weeks earlier, the latest quake was felt across all of southern Bali, including Ubud, a fact confirmed by Twitter reports within moments of the event. Bali Post also confirms the earthquake was felt in the capital of Lombok, West Sumbawa and in Banyuwangi, East Java.

While some panicked, running from their homes, there are no preliminary reports of injury or significant property damages connected with the latest earthquake.

There was no risk of a tsunami associated with the moderate seismic event.

The originator of the idea for the Indonesia Music Expo 2011 (Imex), Franki Raden, told a press conference in Bali on Friday, November 4, 2011, that Imex is intended to serve as an inspiration for traditional musicians to help them express themselves in the challenging international music market.
t this point in time, Indonesian music, especially traditional ethnic music, is known internationally, but few from this sector have managed to penetrate the international market,” explained Raden. Raden is proud that his country Indonesia has a rich variety of music and cultures, with each area of Indonesia possesing a distinctive style of music.

“The richness of Indonesian music, from Sabang to Merauke, if counted for its varieties is equal to Africa, Latin America and Europe. For this reason, Imex wants to give the widest opportunity to our musical heroes to win the hearts of the international music buyers,” said Raden.

Franki Raden is a nationally known music critic. He is also planning to publish a guide to Indonesian music for international distribution.

The Imex event at Nusa Dua will present more than 40 musical groups, including the Toba Ensemble (Sumatra), Kulintang (Sulawesi), Gambang Kromong (Jakarta), Sambasunda (Bandung, West Java) and Rindik (Bali). International musicians expected to perform, include TLJ Alliance (U.S.A.), Hunny Madu (Malaysia), and Jack Lee & SKY (Korea).

During the series of performance each evening November 7-14 from 5:00 – 10:00 p.m., an exhibition of musical instruments and musical workshops will be simultaneously held.

Kompas.com reports that international musical icon, Quincy Jones, is expected to visit Bali on November 20, 2011, to attend Imex. Jones, an accomplished musician in his own right, has produced million-selling records for a number of musical greats including Michael Jackson. Raden told the press that Jones will come to Indonesia to explore the wide Indonesian musical spectrum.

The St. Regis Bali Resort and The Laguna, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua in partnership with Bali Golf & Country Club recently joined forces to host Bali’s first UNICEF Challenge Golf Tournament on Saturday, 29 October 2011.

Organized to raise a funds for UNICEF's  work on behalf of children, the golf tournament represents a continuing part of a number of similar initiatives, such as the UNICEF Check Out For Children program that raises funds through an additional US$1.00 added to the room bill of each guest. These contributions have helped immunize over one million children in underdeveloped countries since 1995.
UNICEF Challenge Golf Tournament

The event held on October 29th began at 6:30 a.m. with a sumptuous Champagne breakfast at the Arwana Restaurant at The Laguna Nusa Dua for the 26 participating golfers. A short 5-minute transfer to the Bali Golf & Country Club Clubhouse followed where the players paused for yet another glass of bubbly to toast the tournament’s start. Following a shotgun start, play continued with cocktails and canapés served between selected holes of play.

Unconfirmed reports attribute unusually high scores turned in by some players to an inability to count resulting from the generous liquid libations served during play and the possibility that some participants may have actually played more than the mandated 18 holes. Fortunately, with non-drinking caddies firmly in control of the golf carts, no injuries or collisions were reported during the tournament.

The charity golf event ended  with a delicious buffet lunch, complemented with wines, at the Boneka Restaurant at the St. Regis Bali.
During that lunch the day’s winners were announced:

• Best Gross Score: Pasko Arma
• Best Net Score: Nigel Day
• Best Net Runner Up Score: Michael Tyles

Among the prizes awarded were a two-night stay at the residential-style beachfront Strand Villa at the St. Regis Bali and a two-night stay at the Pool Villas at The Laguna Nusa Dua. The Hole-In-One prize of return business class Garuda Indonesia tickets to Singapore and Hong Kong were not won, but auctioned at the luncheon to raise additional monies for the event.

All funds raised from this event goes to the Check Out for Children program to improve lives of children around the world.

Two separate items of news over the past week caught our attention while raising fundamental concerns about modern methods of parenting in some quarters.

Spare the Hot Rod; Save the Child

A horrendous traffic accident at 1:00 a.m. on the morning of Friday, October 28, 2011, killed two 14-year old Balinese boys and sent a third to the intensive care unit of Sanglah General Hospital.

In reconstructing the events that led to the deaths, police say the three boys were driving a luxurious Toyota Alphard to an evening party in Seminyak when, after dinner, they exchanged vehicles for a compact-sized Toyota Ista.

Agreeing to rendezvous with friends at a local 24-hour convenience store, the boys set off on a joy ride through the central area of Bali’s capital, Denpasar. While police remain non-commital as to whether or not the boys had been drinking prior to the accident, they do confirm that the three were not wearing seatbelts when their car struck a tree while traveling an estimated 120 kilometers per hour. The force of the initial impact threw the sole surviving boy out the back window of the small car and instantly killed the two remaining boys as the vehicle rebounded and struck a second tree, virtually splitting the car in two.

Adding to the unspeakable loss of life, local newspapers were filled with reports of how the two dead boys were academically gifted, handsome and popular students, and poised to take advantage of a wide-world of educational opportunity available to them as upper-class Balinese. Somewhat ironicaly, one newspaper reported how one of the boys was recently lavished with the gift of a new motorcycle by his doting parents.

Unspoken in the local press, but almost certainly weighing on the dead boys' parents' consciences are painful questions of parental culpability in the deaths resulting from easy access to motor vehicles for 14-year-olds when in Indonesia the minimum age for holding a driving license is 17.

Following the tragedy came a sensible call from Bali’s Chief of Police, General Totoy Herawan Indra, for firm enforcement against all under-aged drivers including the seizure of vehicles driven by children.

We applaud General Totoy’s instruction. At the risk of sounding heartless in the presence of unspeakable tragedy, we contend that perhaps nothing short of actually charging the parents of the dead boys with reckless public endangerment and contributory negligence in the death of the boys is the strong medicine needed to remind all parents of the need for basic discipline in the care and upbringing of their children.

In Name of the Son

A second incident, also in Bali, confirms that abysmal parenting skills are an international problem, and certainly not limited to Indonesain Moms and Dads. In the second instance, the parents of another 14-old-old boy, this one an Australian from New South Wales, are reported to be busy negotiating a AU$200,000 contract for exclusive print and electronic media rights to the story on their Son who was arrested by Bali police on October 4, 2011.

The unnamed Mom and Dad are said to be bargaining the publication rights to the story whilst their son remains under arrest. He is in detention as he stands trial in Bali’s juvenile court system after being arrested with a pocketful of marijuana on a side street in Kuta.

The boy and his parents, joined by a parade of senior Australian politicians and diplomats, are making a great show of seeking mercy and understanding from the Indonesian courts. Citing the boy's age and claiming in mitigation that the lad had a pre-existing drug dependency before coming to Bali on holiday, they want him releases with a slap on the wrist and put on the next plane back to Sydney. Relying on this argument before the Indonesian panel of judges, the boy will either be immediately released to his parents' custody or, in rejection of that defense, sentenced to months or even years of imprisonment in Bali.

Eagerly and actively seeking to financially profit from their offspring's predicament by selling his story to the press, even before the judges make a final ruling in the case, may prove a major faux pas on the part of the parents bringing dire consequences for the boy.

In fact, if considerations of high-level and political pressure are removed from the current equation, things would appear not be looking very good for the young Australian.

The boy's parent and their fumbling, money-grubbing ways have raised larger questions about their overall judgement and the quality of their parenting generally. Many are now asking why the boy’s parents, already aware of their Son's issue with drugs, allowed a 14-year old with a pocketful of money loose for an afternoon of unsupervised “fun” in Kuta - an area well known for its illicit drug culture. Free and living life to its fullest, police arrested the 14-year-as he emerged from a backstreet massage parlor with a pocketful of marijuana.

Whatever the net effect of "selling" their story to the press will have on their Son's fate remains to be seen. The substantial funds being offered for the story by the Australian press promises a "hot" scoop for that segment of the Australian media all-too-willing to sensationally publicize the tired theme of the perils of a holiday in Bali; cranking up that old fiction of an endemic Balinese predilections to prey on defenseless Australian tourists.

Many in these part suggest that justice will only now be seen to be done if the Australian boy is sentenced to an extended prison term. This outcome would demonstrate to the world and the boy's parents that even if crime does pay, good order demands that the cost should be made more expensive than most are prepared to willingly pay.

In both the death of the two Balinese boys and the arrest of the Australian boy with drugs, we see a common thread of unfortunate kids "cashing" checks written by thoughtless parents, patently inept at playing their assigned role of "the adult" in their respective households.

The tragic death of two 14-year-old Balinese boys, Budi Artawan (“Kevin”) and Gede Ogy Surya Nugraha, who were killed while driving at a high rate of speed in the early hours of October 28, 2011, has prompted Bali’s Chief of Police, General Totoy Herawan Indra, to issue instructions to his corps of officers to take firm steps against under-age vehicle operators.

As reported by Bali Post, General Totoy cited the death of the two boys and the serious injuries suffered by a third 14-year-old, Komang Aditya, as an expensive lesson for all concerned, including both the police and the parents of the dead boys. Tototy said: “Psychologically, teenagers are still developing, They still need supervision from teachers, neighbors and their parents.”

Bali’s top-ranking policeman said teachers and parents must provide guidance to children to avoid negative and dangerous activities. Adults need to be aware of what the children in their charge are doing, with whom they are doing it and where they are at all times. Adding, “they have to be supervised in the extreme.”

The police general warned that under-aged drivers will face law enforcement without favor or pardon, regardless of their position in the community. “There is no reason (for this), I order all the police officers in Bali to take firm action against violators,” said Totoy. He called for officers to arrest those involved and seize the vehicles.

Related Article

[Editorial: The Parent Trap]

PT Asuransi Mairpark and other public insurers are estimating the cost of damages resulting from the October 13, 2011, earthquake in Bali will come to a figure between Rp. 3-5 billion (US$333,000 –US$555,000).

As reported by Bisnis Indonesia, Frans Y. Sahusilawane, president director of Maipark Insurance, confirms that the claims received to date total Rp. 150 million (US$16,600); a number he expected to grow as more claims are filed.

Sahusilawane said that he anticipated the total claims will amount to Rp. 3-5 billions.

Among the 30 claims received to date in connection with the October 13th earthquake involved 19 buildings that suffered damage from the earthquake. He explained: “The earthquake claims primarily come from commercial structures – such as banks, hotels and retail shops. Most claims are coming from retail outlets, including Carrefour. There are no claims from government offices, hospitals or private residences.”

He estimated that his company’s share of the total claims resulting from the earthquake would only be 10% of the eventual total or an amount estimated between Rp. 300-Rp. 500 million.

Related Articles

[Finding Faults in Bali]
 
[Let’s Get Ready to Rumble]
 
[Bali Picks Up the Pieces]
 
[Bali Shaken by Earthquake]

The growing number of French tourists to Bali is outpacing the island’s ability to provide a sufficient number of licensed French-speaking guides, according to the chairman of the Bali Guide Association (HPI), Sang Putu Subaya.

According to Subaya: “At this time we are overwhelmed with requests from travel agents for French-speaking guides. This is due to the continuing increase of French tourists to Bali from year-to-year.”

He related that the increase in French visitors to Bali is dominated by individual travelers as opposed to groups, putting an added demand on the services for French-speaking guides. French tourists, moreover, tend to stay a week to ten days. The HPI-Bali currently only has 235 French-speaking registered guides on its registry representing 2% of the 8,198 registered working in Bali.

The HPI estimates that an additional 100 French-speaking guides are needed to meet the current demand for such services.

Through the end of August 2011, French tourist to Bali were up 4.2% year-to-date when compared to arrivals in 2010.

Related Article

[Bali Tourist Numbers Continue to Soar]

Indonesia Air Asia (IAA) has earned the unenviable distinction of being the Indonesian air carrier with the worst record for cancelled flights.

As reported by Bisnis Indonesia, data kept by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation shows Indonesia Air Asia comprised 47% with 471 of all cancelled flight (1,020) recorded for Indonesian air carriers in the month of June 2011.

Indonesia Air Asia is owned in part by Air Asia Berhad, Malaysia.

Coming in second for the number of cancelled flights is Merpati Nusantara Airlines who cancelled 293 flights, representing 28% of all cancellations in June. Garuda was third with 93 cancellations (9%), followed by Sriwijaya 78 (7%), Lion Air 44 (4%) and Batavia 41 (4%).

The communications chief at the Ministry of Transportation clarified that for purposes of data tracking a cancelled flight is any flight that is delayed more than 24 hours from its scheduled departure time.

Of the 471 flight cancelled by Indonesia Air Asia, 424 (90%) were cancelled for business reasons. The lack of passengers or the lack of an aircraft were cited by Merpati Nusantara in 93% of its cancellations.

Indonesia Air Asia is refuting the data supplied by the government, saying that the combination of flights should not be counted as cancelled for business reasons. Audrey Progastama Petriny insisted that the airline has taken every care to minimize inconvenience to passengers when changing flight schedules. Information on flight changes is advised to passengers by email, SMS or telephone calls.

Indonesia Air Asia operated through the end of August 2011 a total of 16 aircraft in a fleet of 12 Airbus A320s and 4 Boeing 737s .

Indonesian airlines are in a period of accelerated growth, despite the looming debt crisis that threatens aviation in Europe and the United States.

The bullish attitude of Indonesian carriers is linked to the steady growth in Indonesian air travelers, making Indonesian air operators the darlings of Boeing and Airbus who are receiving order cancellations from European and U.S. carriers.

The national flag-carrier Garuda Indonesia through the end of 2011 will add three Boeing 737-800NGs and one Airbus 330-200, and three Airbus 320s for use by their subsidiary Citilink.

According to Emirsyah Satar, the CEO of Garuda Indonesia and the chairman of the National Air Carrier Association (INACA), said, “until the third quarter of 2011, airline passenger growth worldwide was only 3.7% while the growth in domestic air passengers in Indonesia stands at 15%.”

Addressing his own airline, Emirsyah said that Garuda Indonesia held a 39% market share of domestic passengers, an increase of 5% as compared to the same period in 2010. Meanwhile, Garuda’s share of the Indonesian international passenger market is 32%.

Officials from the Ministry of Transportation see great potential for growth in the Indonesian passenger market with current domestic passenger totals representing a figure equivalent to only 10% of the entire national population. At the same time, according to the official, Indonesia’s middle class continues to grow.

The Badung Enforcement Agency (Satpol PP) told NusaBali that during the second week of November they would issue the third and final reminder to a the restaurants, cafes and villas located on the North Kuta beach of Batu Belig in Kerobokan. The warning letters, issued for violation of the setback rule from the high water mark, are served on violators as a precursor to the actual demolishment of any erring structures.

Prior to the “final warning” from the head of Satpol PP, Ketut Martha, insisted that his office was busily confronting the violations already prior to a recent surprise inspection visit by members of the regional House of Representatives (DPRD-Badung). Martha told the press that the first reminder to the businesses in violation of the zoning rules was issued on September 13, 2011 with a second reminder delivered on September 22, 2011.

Said Martha: “We only lack the third warning. Warnings one and two have been executed, Warning three will be sent next week. Once this process is finished we will demolish the buildings.”

According the chief enforcement offer for zoning affairs in Badung, the owners of the offending buildings were called to a neeting after the second warning. At that meeting they all admitted their violations and their readiness to see their businesses torn down by his team.

Member of the House of Representatives are urging the Badung administration to knock down the illegal structures and refuse any leniency that would allow the businesses to continue operating for an indefinite period into the future.

The value of Bali-made exports in August 2011 totaled US$51.94 million, a figure 8.58% higher than the export figures for the preceding month.

Gede Suarsa the head of Bali’s Statistic Bureau, said, “the synergy of exports towards the end of the year demonstrates that the province of Bali can withstand a whole range of crisis situations developing in Europe and the United States.”

He explained that among the five main exports from Bali in August 2011 were fish products and prawns, jewelry and accessories, garments, wood products, furniture and household lighting. With the exception of fish and prawns, exports from Bali are dominated by the creative sector.

When compared to August 2010, exports have risen month-on-month by 5.15%. Exports from Bali in August 2010 totaled US$49.4 million.

The only main export market to decline in August was Japan down 18.3% due to worsening economic conditions in that country.

Bali’s main exports for creative products are the United States (19.79%), Japan (13.79%), Australia (9.19%), Singapore (8.69%) and Hong Kong (6.26%).

On  a cumulative basis January – August 2011,  exports from Bali reached US$410.86 million. This total was still dominated by fish and prawns worth US$79.11 million (19.26%). Garments US$58.48 million (14.23%), accessories and jewelry US$52.41 million (12.76%).

53.48% of Bali’s exports are shipped directly from Bali, while 44.93% transited Surabaya in East Java on their way to overseas markets.