Tourist arrivals may exceed target of 7.7 million

Foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia may reach 7.8 million this year, slightly exceeding the government’s target of 7.7 million, a tourism industry group estimated.

Rudiana, vice chairman of the Jakarta branch of the Association of the Indonesia Tour and Travel Agencies (Asita), said in Jakarta on Monday that beside holding international events, improvement of the country’s security conditions had also contributed to the higher than expected number of tourist arrivals.

“Unfavorable security conditions in other countries will also push up the number of inbound tourists, as they may shift their destinations to Indonesia,” he told The Jakarta Post.

Rudiana said that visits are expected to peak in June, July, August and December because of school holidays and the change of seasons in many foreign countries.

“Foreign tourist arrivals may top four to five million in total during those months,” he said.

He added that a number of events, including the SEA Games and those related to the Indonesian ASEAN chairmanship would also boost arrivals of inbound tourists to the country.

The SEA Games are scheduled to run from Nov. 11 to 22 in Jakarta and Palembang. Other official meetings in relation to Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship will also take place from this month through the end of 2011.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recently announced that from January to April this year, the number of tourist arrivals increased by 7.20 percent to 2.32 million from 2.17 million over the same period last year.

According to Rudiana, the 7.20 percent growth was quite good given the declining number of tourists from Japan — one of the most important countries of origin of Indonesia’s inbound tourists.

“Many Japanese tourists canceled their travel following the disaster. Agencies in Bali, for example, reported a 50-percent decline in numbers of free individual travelers [a group consisting two to four travelers],” he said.

Rudiana added that during the first months of each year, visits of foreign tourists usually slowed and would climb later in the middle of the year.

BPS data shows that in April inbound tourists totaled 608,100, a 9.39 percent rise from 555,900 in April last year. Earlier this year, Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said that the government aimed to draw around 7.7 million inbound tourists in 2011, a 10-percent increase from 7 million last year.

Last year, inbound tourists brought a total of US$7.6 billion with average spending of $1,085 per person during an average stay of eight days per visitor. The rising number of travelers in Indonesia has attracted a number of tourism stakeholders, such as hotel management chains, to boost their investments in the country in the coming years.

For example, global hotel management chain Accor recently unveiled plans through 2014 to operate 21 new hotels in Indonesia; its fastest growing market in Asia after China and India.

The hotel, managed under brands such as Pullman, Novotel, Ibis, All Seasons and Formule 1, will be located in Greater Jakarta and other major cities, including Pekanbaru, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Denpasar, Banjarmasin, Palu and Makassar.

It had also previously announced that it would open another 13 hotels by 2013, most of which are currently under construction.

Source: The Jakarta Post

Ayana becomes 1st hotel in Bali to be Tsunami Ready certified

Ayana Resort and Spa has become the first hotel in Bali to be certified as Tsunami Ready, following a comprehensive audit and training program.
Although Ayana's cliff-top location 35 meters above the ocean puts it and its guests at low-risk in case of a tsunami, the hotel wanted to be prepared to take care of guests in case of any emergency.
"We may be considered low-risk because of our cliff-top location, but that is no reason to be complacent," said Ayana's General Manager Charles de Foucault. "This certification will enable us to safeguard our guests and also assist with people from outside the hotel who may come to AYANA to seek refuge on higher ground, in case of a tsunami."

Ayana's 78 private villas and 290-room hotel are located on towering cliffs above Jimbaran Bay, on Bali's south-western peninsula. The award-winning resort occupies 77 hectares of cliff-top land along a 1.3 kilometer coastline. Most of its facilities including the Thermes Marins Bali Spa and 10 different dining venues are located on the cliff-top; beach-front facilities comprise the iconic Rock Bar, Spa on the Rocks treatment villas, Ocean Beach Pool, Kisik seafood restaurant, and secluded Kubu Beach.

Astrid Ellena is Miss Indonesia 2011

Astrid Ellena, 20, from East Java bested 32 candidates on Friday night to be crowned as the new Miss Indonesia.

Last year's winner, Miss Indonesia 2010 Asyifa Latif, and visiting Miss World 2010, Alexandria Mills of USA, formally crowned Astrid at the event held at Central Park, West Jakarta.
Astrid was an early favorite and made it to the final three with Miss Banten, Nadya Siddiqa, and Miss West Papua, Amanda Roberta.

But the Universitas Pelita Harapan student won over judges with her answer to the question of what a woman's most important role in life is.
She said: “A woman must prioritize integrity and self respect. Becoming a mother is the most beautiful thing because the next generation is born from her womb.”
Astrid, who speaks fluent English, Chinese and Spanish, is also known as Miss UPH.
She will represent Indonesia in the 2011 Miss World pageant to be held in London.

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Wakatobi to have coral reefs conservation school

Known for its beautiful and highly diverse coral reefs found nowhere else on earth, Wakatobi is Southeast Sulawesi`s abiding stake in the world`s coral triangle.

The area is made up of a cluster of islands, namely Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko which the local people have abbreviated into the name of Wakatobi.

In an effort to boost preservation of coral reefs in Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi, the Indonesian government is currently preparing the opening of a Coral Reefs Conservation School there.

Wakatobi is an area with 25 clusters of coral reefs with wider range of species and various natural resources potential for billions of people.

Therefore the Indonesian government will allocated US$5 million in funds for sustainable preservation and management of coral reefs in Wakatobi.

"The government of Indonesian through President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono provides five million dollars for sustainable preservation and management of coral reefs in six countries of the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI)," CTI spokesman Imran said in Wakatobi recently.

Speaking at a meeting of the Association of District Administrations (APKASI) Imran said there were two reasons Indonesia wanted to play a major role in preserving coral reefs in the six CTI member countries.

He said the first was that Indonesia has wider coral reefs than those of the other five other countries and was prepared to turn 20 million hectares of mining areas into national marine parks.

And the second, Indonesian waters have the most diversity of coral reefs namely 70 species of the world`s 850 species.

"The Caribbean sea has only 50 coral reefs and the Red Sea only 300," Imran said.

According to him, coral reefs in Wakatobi must be protected from damage to make them remain sustainable for a certain period of time.

"The management and utilization of natural resources in Wakatobi waters at the center of world coral triangle should consider the principles of sustainable use," Imran said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to inaugurate the school, the first of its kind in ASEAN and even in the world, in conjunction with the opening of an international marine event of Sail Wakatobi-Belitung 2011 later in June this year.

The school would be inline with the local government grand strategy to create Wakatobi as marine Center of Excellence for the marine and tourism sector inside the world`s coral triangle center.

Wakatobi`s existence was known worldwide after around a thousand scientists had done research in the area.

Indonesia, Land of Contrasts featured by PBS

PBS Newshour features a 29 photo essay on Indonesia.
It takes us from Jakarta traffic jam, and the antique street Jalan Surabaya to Yogyakarta.
Environmental issues due to logging and images of orang utans are in the essay.
It closes with scenes from Yogyakarta.

The Meliá Tanjung Benoa

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"Gerak Khatulistiwa" Dance Invited for the Independence Day

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will invite Pontianak dancers group to perform the "Gerak Khatulistiwa" or Equator Motion dance at the presidential palace on the independence day commemoration on August 17, 2011.

"I will invite the three dancing groups to dance before the palace on the Indonesian independence day commemoration on August 17," Yudhoyono said at the eighth commemoration of the Society Mutual Cooperation month devotion here on Tuesday.
The president expressed his wish to invite the Pontianak dancing groups after looking on the dance motion performed by three dancing groups at the capital city of West Kalimantan province.

The "Gerak Khatulistiwa" or Equator Motion dance illustrated the natural wealth and cultural grandeur in Pontianak.

The three dances showed the harmony among cultures, especially the Dayak and Chinese cultures.
"That dance is good," said Yudhoyono who was immediately followed by the audience applause.
The president at the moment also told the West Kalimantan govenor Cornelis that the dancers can perform their dancing at the palace.

Source: Antara