Food, Hotel & Tourism Bali (FHT 2012) - the most comprehensive exhibition in Bali of food, beverage, catering, tourism equipment, retail technology and equipment will take place at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center March 1-3, 2012.

Open on Thursday and Friday from 10:00 am until 6:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm – more than 412 companies representing 18 countries will be coming to Bali to promote their products to the region’s hospitality and tourism industry.

As in years past, the Salon Culinaire 2102 – a competition between Indonesia’s young outstanding chefs will be held during the course of FHT 2012.

BHT 2012 is open exclusively for trade visitors.

Visit the [FHT 2012 website]  or [Email] for more details.

In the face of escalating crime and violent attacks on both locals and island visitors in the nightlife and entertainment area of Kuta, local citizen groups in Bali,  gathered from surrounding banjars in Kuta, have begun patrolling the area, effective January 16, 2012.

The citizen patrols were announced by the traditional community chief of Kuta (Bendesa), Anak Agung Keut Sudira, who said: “This should not be seen as a step taken by the village chief (lurah), the local self help organizations (LPM), or myself as a community leader. This is an activity based on a community consensus (musyawarah) among the people of Kuta.”

The patrols will include elements from the police working in concert with men representing 13 banjars in Kuta.

Sudira explained that the community watch volunteers will use youth patrols from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and other, older members of the banjars for the second shift from 6:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m..

As reported by NusaBali, the basis of the patrols is a joint declaration signed by the various banjars of Kuta on December 30, 2011.

The group is also actively urging nightspots in Kuta to cease operations at 2:00 a.m. ending the practice of some bars and nightspots operating until sunrise. Warned Sudira: “At this time, we are only suggesting. However, if later the companies decide to ignore our suggestion, then we close them down.”

The Jakarta Post has reported that Bali’s provincial government has committed to allocate Rp. 30 billion (US$3.27 million) for disaster mitigation work in 2012.

The amount is a 33% increase from the Rp. 20 billion appropriated in 2011 for the purpose of coping with natural disasters.

Under the administration of governor Made Mangku Pastika, Bali is placing great emphasis on emergency preparedness through the establishment of a provincial crisis center in Denpasar from which to monitor developments and coordinate responses when disasters occur.

That center is only 500 meters away from the governor’s office and is housed in an earthquake-proof building and equipped with sophisticated monitoring and communication systems, including CCTV cameras installed in various locations across the island.

I Putu Anom, who is allowed to disburse funds from the disaster budget whenever the governor formally declares a natural emergency, heads the Bali Crisis Center.

The Bali Crisis Center reflects a growing awareness of the island’s vulnerability to natural disaster brought on by earthquakes, climate change, inclement weather and flooding.

The center officially counted 224 disaster incidents in 2011.

While the Ministry of Transportation has named Lion Air and Sriwijaya Air as the Indonesian airlines with the worst on-time performance, the Ministry has now designated the state-owned airline Merpati Nusantara as the carrier most likely to cancel a flight.

The statistics counting performance between January-November 2011 showed the following carriers, in order of appearance, as most likely to cancel a flight

• Merpati Nusantara 9.2% cancellation rat
• Sriwijaya Air 4.11% cancellation rate
• Lion Air 0.73% cancellation rate
• Garuda Indonesia 0.82% cancellation rate
• Batavia Air 0.54% cancellation rate
• AirAsia (Indonesia) 0.16% cancellation rate

The Corporate Secretary for Merpati Nusantara, Imam Turyadi, told Bisnis Indonesia that the high cancellation rates for flights by his airline do not aversely impact the public. “If Merpati cancels a flight the passengers are moved to another airline if there is another airline serving that route,” explained Imam.

He continued to explain that when there is not an alternative flight operated by a competing carrier, the Merpati passengers are moved to the same flight on a subsequent day.

Imam blamed the cancellations on technical operation issues and bad weather, with poor weather in eastern Indonesia causing many flights to be cancelled.

Related Article

[Hurry Up and Wait]
 

The number of air passengers in Indonesia in 2011 increased by 13% totaling 66 million travelers.

As reported by Bisnis.com, the Director of Air Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation, Djoko Murjatmodjo explained of the 66 million Indonesian air passengers taking a trip in 2011, some 58.85 million (89%) were domestic air passengers while the remaining 7.21 million flew on international flights.

Nation-wide the average seat occupancy on Indonesian flights hit 85.95% on domestic flights and 72.98% on international routes.

This preliminary data only includes passengers flying on scheduled airlines. For international flights, only flights operated by Indonesian domestic carriers are included in the count.

The Ministry says that if all flights were included in the count, the total number of passengers carried would exceed 72 million passengers, with 59 million domestic and 13 million international passengers added to the mix.

In 2011, Indonesia was served by 18 scheduled air carriers and 42 unscheduled airlines operating on both domestic and international flights. In the same year, 222 domestic routes and 47 international routes were flown by Indonesian carriers.
 

The Jakarta Post quotes the Central Statistic Agency (BPS) as tallying 742,500 foreign tourists visiting Indonesia during the month of December 2011, an improvement of 12.47% when compared to the same month in 2010.

On a cumulative basis for the year, 7.65 million foreign tourist came to Indonesia in 2011, a 9.24% improvement over 2010.

The government estimates that tourists visitors brought US$8.6 billion is foreign exchange to the country in 2011, a figure 13.16% higher than the total for 2010.

According to The Jakarta Globe, Bali welcomed 2.8 million tourist in 2011, followed by Jakarta (1.93 million) and Batam (1.16 million).

The BPS puts the average length of stay for a foreign visitor to Indonesia at 7.84 days during which the average tourist spent US$143 per day. That comes to US$1,118 per visit, an increase from US$1,086 spent per visit in 2010.

Bali’s own CNN Hero of Year – “Ibu” Robin Lim will be honored at a special celebratory dinner to be held on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at Waterbom Park in Kuta starting at 7:00 p.m..

In addition to “Ibu” Robin Lim, Governor Made Mangku Pastika and Badung Regent Anank Agung Gede Agung are slated to attend as special guests of honor at a night set aside to congratulate Robin on bringing honor to Bali via her non-profit birthing and educational clinics, credited with saving hundreds of lives and delivering thousands of babies in Bali and other areas of Indonesia.

After 13 years of service and frequent financial challenges, "Ibu" (Mother) Robin and her organization remain indefatigably committed to changing the world, one gentle birth at a time.

The event dubbed the “Sounds of Life” will see all tickets sales, a portion of the proceeds from food and beverage and funds raised via a live auction – all be donated to the Bumi Sehat Medical Center founded by Robin in Ubud, Bali.

A sponsor package for the evening is available to those wishing to make a cash contribution and admission tickets are also available in books of 10 tickets for Rp.2,500,000 (US$278). VIP seating is available at Rp. 1,000,000 million (US$111). Corporate tables of ten at Rp. 3,500,000 (US$389) are also on sale and include a bottle or wine or liquor).

Tickets are on sales at:

• Surfer Girl
• Havaianas
• Rip Curl

For more information telephone Waterbom Bali +62-(0)361-755676 (extension 110).

Related Articles

[Welcome Home Ibu Rob Lim]

[Robin Lim CNN Hero of the Year]
 

The Associated Press report that Singapore Airlines LTD (SIA) saw profits plunge 53% in the last quarter of 2011, a downturn attributed to rising fuel costs and slowing passenger demand worldwide.

SIA booked a profit of SG$ 135 million (US$108 million) as compared to SG$ 288 for the same quarter one year earlier.

"Forward bookings continue to show signs of weakness in the final quarter of the financial year, due to uncertainty in the global economy and the protracted Eurozone debt crisis," a company spokesman said.

Revenues for the quarter increased one percent to SG$3.9 million, a very modest growth in turnover that was greatly outpaced by a 12% increase in expenditures to SG$3.7 billion. Adding to the growing expense totals were fuel costs that grew 33% over last year and accounted for 40% of all expenditures.

According to information provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), airline profits worlwide are predicted to fall to US$3.5 billion this year, down dramatically from the US$6.9 billion booked in 2011.

Unfortunately, Singapore Airline's performance may portend a dismal outlook for international travel generally. The Singapore carrier is generally credited as one of the world’s best-managed carriers with an unparalleled worldwide network of routes. Because of this, SIA’s performance can arguably taken an indicative of the overall health of the global airline industry as a whole.

The Singapore Airline report follows an announcement by AirAsia to end its services to Europe and India citing declining demand, rising fuel costs, and inimical regulatory and tax regimes. Meanwhile, Garuda Indonesia announced that due to poor passenger demand they are reducing flight frequencies to Amsterdam.

Related Articles

[European Travel to Bali in Eclipse?]

[AirAsia Axes Flights to Europe and India]

Travel agents in Bali are complaining that the manner in which the airport authority, PT Angkasa Pura I, manages Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport is both unprofessional and arbitrary.

Al Purwa, the chairman of the Bali branch of the Indonesian Association or Travel Agents (ASITA), told Bisnis Bali that the manner in which parking fees are collected is not in keeping with international practice and that there appears to be an element of coercion in other practices, such as fees imposed for floral leis presented to VIP passengers.

Purwa said that he hopes that once the current renovation program at the airport is completed that PT Angkasa Pura I can truly operate the air gateway to Bali to an international standard.

Parking

Pura, the chairman of the organization representing Bali’s licensed travel and tour companies, called into question the practice of charging a parking fee for all vehicles entering Bali’s airport, even when those vehicles only pick up or drop off a passengers without using the parking area.

Purwa complained that Bali’s airport should not be operating like a toll way, requiring everyone who enters the airport to pay a fee. “Don't let the inability of Angkasa Pura to manage the parking facility become the reason for charging everyone who passes through the airport to pay a parking fee,” said Purwa.

ASITA is calling on PT Angkasa Pura I to adopt a standard of practice in keeping with international standards. Virtually all airports around the world do not charge parking fees to vehicle merely passing through the airport without using the parking area. He said travel agents and others who are merely picking up an arriving passenger or dropping off a passenger should not be obliged to pay for parking they do not use.

A Flower Monopoly?

Purwa also complained about what appears to be abuse of power in PT Angkasa Pura I’s management of VIP welcome services used by ASITA members. Pura said that, unlike Bali, airports around the world do not compel those who use certain facilities at the airport to purchase floral leis.

On November 1, 2011, a circular letter was issued by PT Angkasa Pura I forbidding local travel agents from presenting flower leis to their arriving guests, requiring instead that they purchase floral leis from PT Penata Sarana, a company appointed by the airport, whenever a floral welcome is offered to arriving passengers.

Purwa said such a requirement was most peculiar, as travel agents have traditionally provided their own floral welcome for their VIP guests.

Continuing, Purwa questioned a fee of Rp. 1.2 million (US$133) charged for each group using a welcoming banner displayed at the airport and the high charge of Rp. 30,000 (US$3.33) levied for each floral lei given to an arriving passenger. ASITA is asking why the airport authority has appointed only one company to prepare floral welcomes, a decision in seeming violation of the anti-monopoly law of 1999.

Al Purwa acknowledged that PT Angkasa Pura I is given revenue target to meet in the operation of Bali’s airport, but, at the same time, does not think that fact alone justifies onerous and unusual fees levied on the island’s travel agents. Moreover, some agents are concerned that if they decide to present floral welcomes to passengers outside the main terminal area but still within the confines of the airport they will still be required to pay the Rp. 30,000 fee to PT Penata Sarana.

A separate report in NusaBali quotes Purwa as complaining about the over-proliferation of money-changers in the international arrival hall where, he claims, some 15 money changer harass arriving passengers. For comparison purposes, Purwa pointed to Singapore's Changi Airport where the entire money changing function is left to two operators.

Purwa also complained of the predatory behavior of porters at the airport who demand US$10 for use of free trolleys provided at the airport for arriving passengers.

Bisnis Indonesia reports that the Ministry of Transportation will issue a formal Air Operating Certificate (AOC) to Mandala Airlines in the second week of February 2012.

The head of communications for the Ministry, Bambang S. Ervan, confirmed that the AOC would be issued in conjunction with the arrival in Indonesia of aircraft to be operated by Mandala Airlines.

Mandala Airlines, resurrected from near bankruptcy, is now owned by Saratoga Capital (51%), Tiger Airways Holdings Ltd (33%) and the remaining shares are held by creditors of the airline.

Ministry officials confirmed that the needed AOC would be issued to Mandala in February with formal operations by the airline expected to commence in April 2012. According to Ministry officials, the first aircraft of the Mandala fleet – an Airbus A320 – has already arrived in Indonesia.

Mandala was granted a reprieve by the government when its operating license was extended for four months on January 1, 2012, in order to allow the carrier to get its business affairs in order.

The investment manager of Saratoga Capital, Devin Wirawan, confirmed to the press that Mandala is preparing to meet national regulations that mandate a minimum of 10 aircraft be operated by every Indonesian air carrier, stipulating that the airline must own 5 of the subject aircraft.

Said Wirawan: “There are now two Airbus 320 aircraft that will arrive in Indonesia when the AOC is issued. If we brought the aircraft earlier than that we would incur parking fees.”

He said the routes flown by Mandala when it resumed operations would not vary substantially from the routes operated prior to its closure. Mandala formerly flew 16 domestic routes and four international routes.

The new plans for international flights by Mandala indicate that the reformed airline will concentrate it international flights on Singapore.

Related Articles

[Mandala Airline Gets a Reprieve]

[Someday We’ll Fly Away]

While Bali is widely acknowledged as a leading world destination for spa therapies, it is perhaps a lesser known fact that the island’s pampering services also extends to those still wearing Pampers©.

In a number of locations across Bali visitors will encounter signs offer “Baby Spas” providing massage and specialized spa therapies to babies and toddlers.

According to NusaBali, one of the popular baby spa operators is located on Jalan Raya Puputan in Bali’s capital city of Denpasar, which, on the average, treats 10 babies each day, a number that can grow to 20-30 babies on weekends.
provides two different types of spa treatments for babies. For children under the age of 2 years receive massage treatments, while children over the age of 2 but still less than 75 centimeters in height receive hydrotherapy treatment.

Prices for baby spa services vary, with a 15-20 minute hydrotherapy treatment costing Rp. 125,000 (US$14) while a 30-45 minute baby massage will set you back Rp. 75,000 (US$8.30).

The practitioners insist that baby massage not only relaxes the infants, but also helps children add body weight and aids sleep.
 

After terminating flights to Bali in the 1990s, Air New Zealand is poised to resume flights between Auckland and Denpasar on a seasonal basis.

Scheduled to operate during the peak season of June-October, the twice-weekly flights commence on June 20, 2012, using Boeing 767-300 configured to carry 228 passengers.

Rob Fyfe, chief executive officer of Air New Zealand, is confident the new service will be popular with the public, saying, “our flight time of eight and a half hours is a significant improvement on the indirect services offered by competitors that can involve long layovers and a total journey time of at least 14 and sometimes more than 24 hours.”

The new service is subject to government and regulatory approval.

Radar Bali reports that the development of the Simpang Siur underpass project may be complicated by an ongoing dispute over the acquisition of a single remaining parcel of land necessary for the construction of the project deemed critical to reducing traffic congestion in Bali.

An unnamed source told Radar Bali, ‘the project cannot be fully commenced, there’s still land ensnarled in a dispute.”

This fact was confirmed by the vice-chairman of the Bali House of Representatives (DPRD-Bali), Ketut Suwandhi, who told Radar Bali a single piece of land remains in dispute.

Although a Rp. 1.2 billion (US$133,000) price per are (100 square meters) price was agreed, the ownership of the subject parcel is being litigated between contesting heirs.

The government team assigned to acquire private lands to allow the underpass project to go ahead is now compelled to wait for the courts to decide who is the rightful owner of the subject parcel of land.

Those in charge of the project are seeking a legal means to place the purchase price in a secure deposit that can be awarded once the courts determine who is the rightful owner of the parcel of land.

Efforts by Radar Bali to contact the head of the the National Roadway Construction Agency for the province, Susalit Alius, for comment were unsuccessful.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has designated the completion of the Bali underpass project as critical to the APEC Summit set to be held in Bali in 2013.

Mélange is a French term for a mixture or blending. In Vienna a Kaffe Mélange served on a sidewalk café is a delicious blending of coffee and warm milk.

In a larger sense, however, a mélange can also refer to a cultural confluence of diverse artistic forms and traditions.

rate the rich mileu of cultural traditions found in Vienna, Maca Villas in Petitenget, Seminyak is hosting a Vienna Mélange on Saturday, February 11, 2012, featuring a traditional four-course Viennese menu and music by the Ensemble TRIOthlon performing the music of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Shubert and Brahms.

The Menu

Jellied Terrine of Beef Brisket with Herb Butter Sauce
Beef Consommé with Liver Dumplings and Pancakes Julienne
Roasted Pork Neck with Bread Dumplings and Stewed Cabbage
Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce
Musical Program Presented by Ensemble TRIOthlon

Markus Gundemann – violin
Concert Master of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra
Steve Retallick – violoncello
Principal Cellist Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra
Anton Isselhardt – flute
Former flutist at State Philharmonic Orchestra Rheinland Pfalz
Cost: Dinner, cocktails and musical performance Rp. 400,000 plus tax and service (US$54)

Sunday, February 11, 2012

Doors open at 7:00 p.m.

Music commences at 7:30 p.m.

Villa Maca

Jalan Lebak Sari No. 7 – Petitenget
Seminyak, Bali

Information and Reservations: telephone ++62-(0)361-739090 or [email] 

.

The clock is ticking down on the start of Indonesia’s first open full marathon race in over 20 years is to be held in Bali on Sunday, April 22, 2012.

BII-Maybank Bali Marathon 2012 will feature Full and Half Marathon distances in addition to a 10K race. Team participation via the relay team category is also open to groups of friends, running clubs and corporate groups,

The race will begin and end in front of the Bali Safari and Marine Park in Gianyar passing through scenic Balinese countryside and traditional villages. Along the race route marshals in traditional Balinese dress and local orchestras will make this race unlike any other in the world.

Total prizes of over US$ 20,000, an international standard course and a line-up that will include an impressive array of elite international athletes is expected to draw 3,000 runners from Indonesia and around the world.
Race Date

Sunday, April 22,  2012
Start and Finish Line: Near to the Bali Safari and Marine Park


* 5 persons in one team.
** BII Credit Card Holders are eligible for an additional 25% discount.
For more information visit www.balimarathon.com or call Bali Discovery Tours who can help with race hotel arrangements and assist those who wish to register 0ff-line.

[BII - Maybank Bali Marathon 2012] 

Bali Discovery Tours
Komp. Pertokoan Sanur Raya No. 27,
Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai, Sanur,
Phone: +62-(0_361-286 283. Fax: +62-(0)361-286 284.
[E-mail] 

PUSH YOUR LIMIT!

The Jakarta Post reports that some members of Bali Chapter of the Indonesian Association of Travel Agents (ASITA) are not including stops at the iconic Tanah Lot Temple in Tabanan and the Uluwatu Temple in south Bali in protest over “unreasonably excessive” hikes in admission prices.

Bali’s ASITA chairman, Aloysius Purwa said a number of his association’s members are substituting other destinations, refusing to accept the 100% increase in admission charges at the two sites. Foreigners now pay Rp. 30,000 (US$3.33) to view Pura Tanah Lot, twice the previous price of admission. Meanwhile, the Uluwatu temple perched on a vertical cliff over the Indian Ocean charges Rp. 20,000 (US@2.22) to foreign visitors, nearly three time the old rate of Rp. 7,500 paid for entry.
nted with ASITA not being consulted before the hike was introduced, Purwa warned: “Both attractions had a permanent place on our itineraries alongside several other attractions in Badung and Tabanan, such as Taman Ayun, Ulundanu and Sangeh. Now, the case will be different.”

When ASITA learned of plans to increase the admission fees late last year, the association formally wrote to the regencies asking to discuss the matter. Purwa said his association’s request for prior consultation were not dignified by an answer.

Heavy rains over the Galungan holidays has caused landslides and road subsidence on two major roads in the Buleleng regency of Bali.

• A landslide on Jalan Raya Singaraja – Almapura at the village of Pucung near Tejakula is impeding traffic along the main coastal artery in Bali’s northeast. The shoulder of the road collapsed, reducing the width of the road by 50%
• Another landslide and falling trees on the main road connecting Jalan Raya Seririt and Pupuan at the village of Subuk, in the Busungbui district disrupted north-south traffic on the road connecting Tabanan with Buleleng. Half of the road along a 15 meter stretch collapsed into a ravine causing traffic to come to crawl while two-way traffic carefully negotiated the remaining narrow piece of roadway.

Efforts are underway to repair the affected pieces of highway as quickly as possible.

 

The municipal government of Denpasar, the capital of Bali, has allocated Rp. 1.46 billion (US$162,000) to be divided amongst 419 community youth groups (Sekaa Teruna-Teruni – STT).

The resulting individual allocations of Rp. 3.5 million (US$389) will be used to construct Ogoh-Ogoh displays as part of Bali’s celebrations leading up to “Nyepi” - the day of absolute silence that ushers in a New Year on the Balinese calendar.

Hari Suci Nyepi Tahun Baru Saka 1934, which falls on March 23, 2012, is preceded by a night of Mardi Gras-like revelry in which elaborate papier mâché floats are paraded on Bali’s streets before they are abandoned, often set ablaze, before people retreat to their homes for a 24-hour period of reflective meditation in which all activity is prohibited.

The ogoh-ogoh floats involved days and nights of dedicated work by villagers who create large figures depicting monster, daemons and stage celebrities.

Fueled by copious quantities of intoxicating arak, young men, in traditional Balinese dress, carry the floats on their shoulders, sometimes resulting in contentious stand-offs when ogoh-ogohs from competing banjars encounter each other on Bali's narrow streets.

While no funds were provided to STTs in 2011, this year’s allocation reflects a new national political will in which tourism and the creative sectors are linked.

 

A landslide in north Bali on Saturday night, February 4, 2012, has killed two small children, just one week after another landslide in front of the Taman Ayun Park in south Bali killed another child.

The latest victims were Ni Luh Sumita Sari (1.5 years) and Puspitasari (6 months) were buried under an avalanche of soil that swept over their home in Dasong at the village of Pancasari in Buleleng.

The children’s parents, Ketut Rata (34) and Ni Luh Suami (32) suffered burns and broken bone in the disaster that took the lives of their two children.

The landslide happened at 7:30 p.m. after an entire day of relentless heavy rain across the Buleleng region.

Final Bali arrival figures for 2011 tallied 2,756,579 foreign tourists, an increase of 10.57% over the total for 2010 (2,493,058).

For the four years 2008 – 2011, Bali experienced an average annual growth rate in foreign tourist arrivals of 10%.

Month-to-month arrival totals over the four year period also demonstrates that in terms of seasonality Bali has no “low season” but, instead, a “shoulder season” stretching from January to March.

Arrivals by Major Markets.
trong>Australia – now the undisputed leader among source markets for Bali, Australian tourist increased 22.09% in 2011 to 790,965 visitors. Over the past four years, Australian arrivals have recorded an average annual rate of growth of 39.5%. As a result, Australia enjoys a whopping 28.69% market share of all foreign arrivals.

People’s Republic of China - moved up from 3rd to 2nd place among source markets in 2011 by increasing 20.32% to 236,868. There remains a great deal of unexploited potential in PRC visitor arrivals, realizable if efforts now underway to ease exit requirements imposed by Chinese authorities are successful. China, the second most important source of foreign visitors to Bali has a market share of 8.59, a distant second to the 29.69% share held by Australia.

Japan– once the decade’s-long leader in tourist arrivals to Bali, Japan has now slid to 3rd place, and is poised to slip further to 4th or 5th in the coming year as arrivals continue to plummet from Japan. Japanese arrivals in 2011 hit 183,284 - a 25.62% decline from 2010. Japanese arrivals have declined at an average annual rate of 12.08% since 2008.

Malaysia – Malaysia hangs on to 4th place among tourist arrivals to Bali with 169,719 visitors. Malaysian arrivals increased 9.33% in 2011, slightly higher than the average 7.7 growth rate over the past four years.

Taiwan– Moving to 5th place from its former 6th place among source markets, Taiwanese travelers increased 5.34% in 2011. There were 129,233 Taiwanese visitors to Bali in 2011.

South Korea – South Korea travel growth is slowing, increasing only 1.4% in 2011, causing their poll position to slip from 5th to 6th place. 126,709 South Koreans came to Bali in 2011.

France – France continues to hold on to it 7th ranking among source markets for Bali, increasing 5.12% in 2011 with a total 111,542 arrivals.

United Kingdom – U.K. visitors are holding steadfast at 8th place among foreign arrivals to Bali. Visitors from the U.K. increased 3.45% in 2011 with 107,975 visitors.

U.S.A. – United States visitors to Bali grew dramatically in 2011, increasing 24.96% to total 90,154. Perhaps boosted by a Presidential visit to Bali, the double-digit growth in 2011 outpaced the 8.1% average annual rate of growth since 2008. This spurt of growth in arrivals in 2011 boosted the U.S.A. from 10th to 9th place among all foreign arrivals.

Germany – Germany arrivals declined slightly (0.16%) in 2011, reflecting that troubled economy. This lackluster performance produced 84,071 arrivals in 2011, moving Germany from 9th to 10th place among all arrivals.

Russia – Russian arrivals improved an impressive 16.15% in 2011 to 75,636. Average annual growth over the four years since 2008 equaled 7.5%. Russia’s ranking amongst all Bali arrivals moved up from 12th to 11th place in 2011.

The Netherlands– Holland arrivals are slipping, down 7.49% in 2011 totaling 69,673. In keeping with this downturn, Garuda Indonesia recently reduced its flight frequencies between Amsterdam and Indonesia. 

Geographical Areas

The Americas – including North and South America increased 23.31% in 2011, followed by an 11.09% increase in visitors from the Asia-Pacific. European visitors improved 4.95% during the same period.

The Asia-Pacific constitutes 58.52% of all foreign tourist arrivals to Bali, followed by Europe (23.37%) and the Americas (5.06%).

Karma Kandara Resort in Bali is hosting its first Bali Life Foundation Weekend in support of a children’s home – founded by Brad and Siska Little – that provides a nurturing environment for 20 children guided by the founder’s pledge to give hope, dignity and purpose to those under their care.
t this noble cause, Karma Kandara Resort in Bali has designed an unique weekend stay experience February 24-26, 2012, including cuisine prepared by celebrity chef Luke Mangan, from which 100 % of the weekend-stay package revenue to the Bali Life Foundation.

Luke Mangan will travel to Bali to lend a hand in this major fund-raising effort. One of the most respected names internationally in culinary arts and restaurant creation, Luke Mangan worked his way up the quality food chain under the guidance of kitchen luminaries such as Herman Scheider and Michael Roux.

Now, famous in his own right, Mangan champions quality Australian ingredients in combination with fine local ingredients whenever cooking outside the Antipodes. He owns the Glass Brasserie at the Hilton Sydney;The Palace by Luke Mangan in South Melbourne; Salt and the nearby Wine Bar in Tokyo, Japan; Salt Grill in Singapore; floating Salt Grills on board three P&O Cruise ships and consults Virgin Australia on their in-flight meals.

Describing his style of dining establishment as ranging from “gastropubs” to “fine Dining” – all share a common cooking philosophy of the finest ingredients presented in straightforward manner with a distinctively contemporary twist.

Celebrated both at the dining table and in print, Luke has written four best-selling cookbooks and an inspiring autobiography “The Making of a Chef.” He also has developed a range of gourmet products that bear his name and seal of approval.

February 24-26, 2012 in Bali

The Bali Life Foundation Weekend at Karma Kandara with Luke Manngan includes:

• Friday, Feb 24, 2012 – Join Luke Mangan for canapés and cocktails at Temple Lounge, followed by a two-course dinner.
• Saturday, Feb 25, 2012 – A sunset cocktail hour in the Temple Lounge, followed by a luxurious 5-course dinner with wine pairings in di Mare presented by Luke Mangan.
• Sunday, Feb 26,2012 - A relaxed afternoon BBQ on the beach with Luke Mangan and his culinary crew.

For a "charitable price" of US$1,375 plus 21% tax and service two guests will enjoy a two night stay at a private villa at Karma Kandara, including breakfast, lunch and the attendance of all 3 culinary events. To make you feel even better about helping the children at Bali Life Foundation, Karma Kandara is adding a 90-minute massage.

For guest not taking up the entire package, the Friday cocktail and dining event is available at Rp. 1,200,000 plus tax and service (US$161); the Saturday cocktails and 5-course dinner with wine pairings for Rp.1,800,000 plus tax and service (US$242); or the Sunday beach BBQ for Rp. 650,000 plus tax and service (US$87)

For more information or to secure one of the remaining places, telephone ++62-(0) 361-8482222 or [Email]