PATA: Chinese and Indian Travelers Give Asian Tourism a Big Lift

The sun is shining on the tourism trade in Asia-Pacific with double-digit growth notched up in 2010, spurred largely by the Chinese and Indian middle classes packing their bags for a break abroad.

Strong economies, the proliferation of low-cost airlines and a burgeoning constituency of online shoppers are adding to the region’s rosy outlook.

There was an 11 percent rise in arrivals in the region overall last year, according to preliminary data from the Pacific Asia Travel Association. And 2011 is also expected to be a strong year.

“Asia will receive international arrivals at close to double that of the world average growth rates,” PATA’s deputy chief executive John Koldowski said.

“It’s Asians traveling to Asia, that’s the key to all these numbers and the big shift we are seeing globally in the tourism market. It’s all happening in Asia now.”

South Asia reported the strongest arrivals growth with a gain of 14 percent, highlighting a record year for India which posted 5.6 million foreign inbound visits for the year, a 9 percent increase.

Indonesia saw a 9 percent growth, with 7 million tourists arriving in 2010 over 6.4 milion in 2009. Australia and New Zealand and the Pacific islands also had a record year for tourist arrivals.

The total travel market in Asia Pacific is expected to reach $212 billion this year, reflecting a near five percent increase over 2010, according to industry analyst PhoCusWright.

Growth in the region is being boosted partly by a newly minted middle class in the enormous populations of China and India — around 46 million Chinese travelled abroad last year, as did over four million Indians, PATA says.

People from Europe and North America are also heading to Asia and the Pacific in their droves — arrivals from Europe were up 11 percent to 24 million, PATA says, while arrivals from North America grew by over 10 percent to 13 million. “Travel has generally rebounded from the global financial crisis,” said Carl Jones, director of advisory services for American Express Business Travel in the region.

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Conrad Tanjung Benoa Bali

Boasting 6.8 acres of landscaped gardens, beachfront Conrad Bali provides direct access to Tanjung Benoa Beach. It features a large outdoor lagoon pool, 5 dining options and an award-winning spa.

Conrad Bali is just 1.5 km from shopping and dining options at Bali Collection. The popular Seminyak Area is 18 km away. Ngurah Rai International Airport is a 20-minute drive from the hotel.

Luxurious and spacious, rooms at Conrad Bali feature private balconies overlooking the ocean or garden. Modern comforts like a free pillow menu and coffee maker can be enjoyed in all rooms. In-room entertainment includes a flat-screen cable/satellite TV and DVD player.

Jiwa Spa boasts exceptional massage treatments and beauty therapies. The hotel also organises guided bicycle tours through nearby villages, basic Indonesian language classes or Balinese cooking classes. Yoga and water aerobic sessions are also held regularly. Free Wi-Fi is available in public areas.

Buffet and à la carte breakfast options are served in an outdoor setting at Suku Restaurant. Mediterranean and seafood dishes can be enjoyed at the beachfront Eight Degrees South. Light refreshments and drinks may be enjoyed at East Bar and Azure Bar.

Hotel Rooms: 360. Hotel Chain: Conrad Hotels & Resorts.
Jalan Pratama 168, Tanjung Benoa, 80363 Tanjung Benoa (Show map)

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President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to attend Java Jazz music festival

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to watch performances at the Java Jazz music festival, at Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran from March 4 – 6.
“First Lady [Ani Yudhoyono] and palace officials, and probably several ministers, will accompany [the President],” presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said Friday.
Julian said he did not know which performances the President planned to attend. Last year, the Yudhoyonos watched an on-stage performance of iconic singer Diane Warren.
This year, the festival, under the banner “Remarkable Indonesia, Harmony Under One Nation”, is featuring world-class musicians including Santana, George Benson and Corinne Bailey Ray.

Javan rhinos breed at Ujung Kulon: WWF

Rare and endangered Javan rhinos (Rhinoceros sondaicus) are found to have bred calves in Ujung Kulon National Park, Banten province, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Indonesia.

WWF-Indonesia said video trap it has installed in cooperation with the Ujung Kulon National Park Authority documented two Javan rhino and their calves there. The videos recorded these endangered species activity from November to December 2010, WWF-Indonesia says in a press release to ANTARA, on Monday.

A clip from first video recorded in November 2010 showed mother and calf walking steadily to the video trap. Several more videos of this family were obtained from November to December, enabling proper and accurate identification of the calf. The calf then identified as a male Javan rhino.

On December 2010, another family successfully documented. The 30-seconds video shows a larger calf-compared to the male calf identified earlier-walked with its mother. Further identification proved that it is a female rhino, with an estimated age of 1 year old.

These findings are great news proving that Javan rhino breeds in Ujung Kulon National Park-especially after rhinos death last year.

"Video evidences showing these two calves are important discoveries as they provides us with substantial information about Javan rhino`s population dynamics in Ujung Kulon National Park," explained Head of Ujung Kulon National Park Authority, Agus Priambudi.

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Foreign tourist arrival in Indonesia down in January

The number of foreign holidaymakers arriving in Indonesia in January decreased by 14.81 percent to 548,800, year on year, the National Statistic Bureau announced on Tuesday.

But, the number of foreign holidaymakers visiting Bali, the center of country's tourist industry, rose by 16.81 percent to 208,300, year on year, Head of the Bureau Rusman Heriawan told a press conference at the bureau office.

More than 7 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia last year, exceeding the initial target of 7 million people.

The government is targeting 7.7 million foreign tourists this year, and expecting them to spend 8.4 billion U.S. dollars from 7. 6 billion U.S. dollars in 2010.

Indonesian tourism industry has recovered from the impact of terrorism and epidemics.