Tourist arrivals in West Kalimantan up 2.82 pct in June

A total of 2,629 foreign tourists visited West Kalimantan province in June, an increase of 2.82 percent from 2,557 a month earlier.

The tourists came to West Kalimantan via Entikong and Supadio gateways, Head of the West Kalimantan Provincial Statistics Office Iskandar Zulkarnaen said here on Saturday.

He said 76.99 percent of the foreign tourists visited West Kalimantan via Entikong border crossing and 23.01 percent via Supadio airport.

However, compared to May 2011 the number of foreign tourists visiting the province via Entikong in June declined 4.48 percent to 2024, he said.

Meanwhile, the number of foreign tourists who came to the province via Supadio airport increased significantly by 38.13 percent to 605 in June 2011 from 438 in May 2011, he said.

He said most of the foreign tourists came from Malaysia with 1,985 or 75.50 percent of the overall tourist arrivals in June, followed by Brunei Darussalam 251 or percent, Singapore 137 or 5.21 percent, China 79 or 3 percent, Australia 25 or 0.95 percent and other countries 152 or 5.78 percent.

Despite the increase in the number of tourist arrivals, the room occupancy rate of star-rated hotels fell 1.62 points in June to 46.52 percent compared to 48.14 percent in May, he said.

Meanwhile, the room occupancy rate of non-star hotels in June averaged 28.09 percent, down 5 points from 33.09 percent in May, he said.

"The average length of stay at star-rated hotels in West Kalimantan in June 2011 was about the same as May 2011, namely 1.95 days," he said

Jababeka Set to Invest Rp 1.5t In West Java Tourism Project

Industrial estate developer Kawasan Industri Jababeka is acquiring two tourism-estate companies in West Java valued at Rp 1.5 trillion ($177 million) in a bid to sustain its growth, a top executive said on Sunday.

The company will acquire Banten West Java Tourism Development and Tanjung Lesung Leisure Industry. A 1,500-hectare site controlled by Tanjung Lesung will be used to serve tourists in West Java.

“We are looking for a fresh field as the manufacturing estate business is becoming saturated,” Setyono Djuandi Darmono, president director of Jababeka, told the Jakarta Globe.

“This is a strategic position for Jababeka because we are experts in township development and infrastructure services, as well as in other fields.”

Both of the takeover targets have been formally recognized as property companies with a focus on eco-tourism. That recognition was given by the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) in its development plan for this decade.

Darmono said the acquisition deals would be signed next month and Jababeka would have complete ownership and control of the companies next year.

“The land has already been bought and it has been certified by the National Land Agency [BPN],” he said.

To finance the acquisitions, the company is seeking funds through a rights issue.

According to Banten’s Web site, the tourism site controlled by Tanjung Lesung Leisure Industry will be turned into an integrated resort hoping to attract domestic and international visitors.

“This is a business with great potential. Just imagine the 24 million people of Greater Jakarta seeking new alternative sites to spend their holidays,” Darmono said.

The resort would contain three-, four- and five-star hotels, an 18-hole golf course, a 300-berth marina, connected canals for waterfront homes, a marina village with shops, a restaurant, services and entertainment, an education campus, resort villas, apartments, a traditional village, yachting facilities and beach club.

As Banten has an original ethnic group, the Baduy, Darmono said he planned to build a Baduy-themed village on the resort to attract tourists. The site is also home to Ujung Kulon, a nature preserve that has rhinoceroses, and the company may build a zoo at the estate, he said.

Darmono said that as a site dedicated to tourism, it would face less competition than one devoted to manufacturing or residential property.

“We might be the only player to develop tourism in Banten,” he said.

Darmono said the business would make a significant contribution to Jababeka’s revenue. In the first half, the firm’s revenue increased 11 percent to Rp 369 billion and net income rose 8.5 percent to Rp 47.8 billion.

Jababeka owns 1,570 hectares of industrial field in Cikarang, West Java, and another 1,000 hectares in Cilegon, Banten. The firm also owns 1,400 hectares of housing at Cikarang.

Source: The Jakarta Globe

West Sumatra attracts 3,051 foreign tourists in June2011

The number of foreign tourist arrivals in West Sumatra via Minangkabau International Airport and Teluk Bayur seaport reached 3,051 people in June 2011.

The June 2011 arrivals increased 14.31 percent from 2,669 tourists in May 2011," Head of the West Sumatra Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) Muchsin Ayub said here on Thursday.

The Tour de Singkarak international cycling race had boosted the number of the foreign tourists to West Sumatra, he said.

The majority of the foreign tourists were Malaysians (1,838 people), and Australia (211 people).
The number of the foreign tourists to West Sumatra constituted 0.45 percent of the total foreign visitors to Indonesia in June, namely 674,402 people.

Meanwhile, South Sumatra received 521 foreign tourists via Sultan Mahmud Badarudin II airport in May 2011, up 1.56 percent from the previous month.
The figure also showed a 330.58 percent increase from 121 foreign tourists visiting the province in May 2010, Haslani Haris, the head of the South Sumatra Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) said in Palembang recently.

Most of the foreign tourists to South Sumatra were from Malaysia (301 people), followed by Singapore (62), the United States of America (14), and England (8 people).

Aceh Darussalam Province located in the northern most of Sumatra Island, was visited by 6,657 foreign tourists during the January-June 2011 period.
Of the total, 56 percent or 3,759 tourists were from Malaysia, Syech Suhaimi, the Aceh BPS chairman, said here on Tuesday.
Malaysia was on top as a source of tourist arrivals in Aceh, followed by Germany (744 tourists), China (516 tourists), England (199) and Australia (135).

New Routes, Planes, Logo for Garuda’s Citilink Expansion

National airline Garuda Indonesia plans to more than quadruple the amount of people that Citilink, its budget carrier, will fly in the next four years with new routes and aircraft, a top executive said on Wednesday.

Emirsyah Satar, president director of Garuda Indonesia, said the number of passengers expected to travel on Citilink would reach 8.3 million in 2015, from a forecast of 2 million this year. New overseas destinations will include Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Australia.

“We want to revive Citilink, which has been a part of Garuda for a long time. The potential in the low-cost carrier market is big,” Emirsyah said.

The higher passenger volume is also expected to boost Citilink’s revenue contribution to Garuda to 30 percent, from the current 5 percent, said Elisa Lumbantoruan, Garuda’s finance director.

Garuda may also spin the unit off next year, followed by a possible initial public offering in 2015, he said.

Citilink’s expansion includes the arrival of five new Airbus A320s this month and 25 more starting in 2014. Eventually the aircraft will be the only one flown by Citilink after it phases out its six Boeing aircraft, making aircraft maintenance easier, Emisyah said.

“We’re also in the process of hiring the cabin and cockpit crew so we’ll be ready when the aircraft arrive,” he said.

Citilink is also changing its logo, taking on a predominantly green motif to appeal to a younger generation of consumers, including backpackers, Elisa said.

To help with marketing, it has hired Con Korfiatis, former chief executive at Viva Macau Airlines and JetStar Asia, as an adviser to Garuda’s Citilink expansion.

An Escape to an Island in the Middle of Lake Toba

Set in the middle of Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Samosir Island appears to be an untouched paradise.

Its rolling green landscape is dotted with traditional houses, called jabus, with a scattering of contemporary structures around the eastern coast.

Lake Toba is believed to have been formed about 75,000 years ago, in the eruption of a supervolcano that is thought to have affected the earth’s climate.

When Annette Horschmann, a German tourist, traveled to Lake Toba after completing her studies, she did not expect to stay for more than a couple of days. Twenty-seven years later, she is still living here with her husband and three children.

“The first time I visited this island, it was like love at first sight,” Horschmann said. “I told myself this is where I should be. About one month later, I met my husband.”

She started a vegetarian restaurant with her husband on the island before turning it into the popular Tabo Cottages in the small town of Tuk Tuk, where most of the island’s accommodations can be found.

“[On Samosir,] you’re surrounded by spectacular scenery. And the weather is cool here all year long,” Horschmann said.

It’s not hard to see why she decided to stay. With the island’s cool, clean air and uncluttered planning, it is easy to travel around on foot or by bike.

Hotel prices in Tuk Tuk range from about Rp 300,000 to Rp 500,000 ($35 to $60). For that price you can get friendly service and a clean room.

If you are coming from Jakarta, getting to Samosir from the capital is probably going to be the most expensive part of the trip. It involves a flight to Medan, followed by a drive to nearby Parapat and a ferry ride across the lake to the island. Good preparation and planning a schedule ahead of time are essential to cut down costs and travel time.

Samosir is a popular, though not overcrowded, tourist destination, with plenty of things to see and do. Activities range from trekking to waterskiing to bathing in hot springs and waterfalls.

The best way to discover what there is to do on the island is to ask one of the locals, who tend to be friendly.

“The people are very welcoming here,” said Gindo Rumahorbo, a Samosir resident. He added that many of the residents were eager to show visitors around and share their knowledge of the island and its history.

Samosir is a center of Batak culture. A recently opened museum, TB Silalahi, located in Balige, south of Lake Toba on the mainland, explores the history and culture of this ethnic group, which is native to North Sumatra, through its collection of artifacts and relics.

The Bataks are famous for their ulos, a traditional cloth. Residents on Samosir make the cloth using traditional hand-weaving methods. There are also traditional villages, known as suku, where visitors can get a glimpse of life on the island hundreds of years ago.

Pasir Putih beach at Parbaba at sunset, lunch on Tao Island and Pusuk Buhit mountain, where legend says the Bataks came from, are all essential destinations on Samosir.

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Remarkable Indonesia Exhibition at Harrods

Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu opened Sunday an in-store promotion of Indonesian products at England’s tourism icon, high-end Harrods department store in London.

Mari said in a statement that the government-sponsored event aimed to strengthen the brand of Indonesian quality products and ease its way to reach more customers across the world.

“Over the last five years, quality products from Indonesia have increased in number and variation, along with the development of creative industries. Therefore, we need to better promote our products so that global customers recognize, appreciate and buy Indonesian products,” she said.

The event will run from July 31 to Aug. 27 to coincide the summer season in England. Indonesian products, such as batik, woven fabrics, textiles, accessories, jewelry and food and beverage products, are occupying a 360-square-meter area in the store and are for sale.

Indonesia had earlier staged an exhibition at Harrods in 2010 although the goods were not for sale.

Related: Indonesia comes to Harrods

'Batik Cultural Heritage' expo launched

The Industry Ministry on Tuesday officially opened the 4th “Batik Cultural Heritage” expo, which will run for four days at the ministry office in Jakarta.
The exhibition features batik products from 48 small and medium enterprises from various regions across Java, grouped under the theme “Indonesia: Global Home of Batik”.
“Apart from Jakarta, participants also come from Tangerang in Banten; Tasikmalaya, Garut and Cirebon in West Java; Surakarta and Pekalongan in Central Java; Bantul in Yogyakarta; and Madura in East Java," ministry director general for small and medium industry Euis Saedah said in her opening address at the launch.
"All batik cloth displayed in this exhibition are available for purchase," she said.
Indonesian Batik Foundation chairman Jultin Ginanjar Kartasasmita, meanwhile, said the expo was a preliminary event prior to this year's World Batik Summit, which will be held from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2 at the Jakarta Convention Centre

Australian visitors to Bali up 25%

Bali saw a 25 percent increase in numbers of Australian visitors in the first half of 2011, the Central Statistics Agency says.

The figures reveal that a total of 348,489 Australians visited Bali during this period, up from 278,049 in the same period last year.

“This fairly significant increase puts Australia in the top 10 countries supplying the most tourists to the Island of the Gods,” Bali Central Statistics Agency (BPS) office chief I Gede Suarsa said Tuesday in Denpasar.

He said most of the Australians entered Bali through Ngurah Rai Aiport, while 3,562 had arrived on yachts and boats.

Gede said many Australians now considered Bali as a “second home”, and added that the increasing number was also attributable to relatively short flight times between Bali and Australia, Australia’s improving economy and Bali’s improved security.

He said Australians constituted almost 27 percent of the total 1.3 million foreign tourist visitors in Bali from January to June, the number of which had increased 10.46 percent from 1.18 million in the same period last year.

Gede added that among the top 10 countries supplying tourists to Bali, eight had sent more and two had sent less during the first half.

The number of tourists from China increased 8 percent to 106,400; from Malaysia up 20 percent to 83,491; South Korea up 1 percent to 59,971; and Singapore up 34 percent to 65,660.

The number of tourists from the UK increased 26 percent to 48,489; from France 8 percent to 45,473; and from the US was up 24 percent to 41,303.

Only tourist numbers from Japan and Taiwan declined by 26 percent to 88,605 and by 0.35 percent to 65,360, respectively, Antara reported.

Source: The Jakarta Post

Food-Stall Favorites in Jakarta's Chinatown

Glodok, Jakarta’s Chinatown, is full of surprises. Centered on Jalan Gajah Mada, it is one of Central Jakarta’s busiest commercial districts, bustling with markets, food stalls, restaurants and shopping centers, where you can find anything from live insects to pirated DVDs, cheap electronics, herbal medicines and shots of cobra blood.

Shoppers here know what they want, and they know where to get it in the area’s hot and crowded marketplaces. But even seasoned shoppers in the busy streets of Glodok need to put their feet up sometime and enjoy a cool drink or a light snack to keep them going.

Bordering Jakarta’s Kota Tua (Old Town), Glodok boasts some of the city’s longest-standing and most popular food stalls. Trying out these time-tested institutions is an essential element of the Glodok experience.

Cendol PIX, a food stall offering ice-cold jelly drinks, has been providing shoppers with a spot for respite and refreshment for 39 years. The PIX in the name stands for Petak IX, the old name for the area. Cendol is the Indonesian name for a kind of dessert usually made with coconut milk and filled with a range of bright and bubbly jelly pearls. Cendol PIX keeps things simple with two types of drinks on offer: es cendol , made with layers of shaved ice, and bubur kacang hijau , or sweet mung bean porridge.

Its specialty cendol comes with white, worm-like jelly pearls made of rice flour served with chilled coconut milk, shaved ice and a generous serving of palm sugar syrup drizzled over the lot.

While mung bean porridge is usually served warm in a bowl, here it is served cold in a glass with shaved ice.

If sweet jelly drinks haven’t hit the spot, Gloria Alley, opposite the old Gloria Building, is the next stop for food stalls and cafes offering local delicacies.

Not far from the main road, about a five-minute walk down the alley, you’ll find Bakmi Amoy, a little restaurant renowned for its mie ayam (chicken noodle soup) and bakso goreng (fried meatballs).

Amoy is the name of the 60-year-old Chinese-Indonesian woman who has been running the place since 1980.

But if it’s more of a Betawi dish you’re after, the best place to look is a tiny blue stall at the end of Gloria Alley called Gado-Gado Direksi.

Owner Shinta Dewi said the name Direksi, or Directors, was suggested by officials at Bank Eksim, now Bank Mandiri, who ate at the stall. The bank directors seem to have left their legacy not only in the stall’s name but also in its financial fortunes. Shinta’s daughter, Giok Lie, who now runs the stall, said she’s in no hurry to change the name. “It brings good luck,” she said.
The specialty on offer here is, of course, gado-gado , the traditional Indonesian vegetable salad served with a generous helping of peanut sauce dressing.

Full article by Chrestella Tan

Lombok International Airport to operate soon

West Nusa Tenggara or NTB province near Bali Island will soon see the completion of its Lombok International Airport that can also accommodate Air Bus 330 or Boeing 767 aircraft.

Lombok International Airport (BIL), located in Tanah Awu, Pujut sub-district, Central Lombok district, is about 40 kilometers south of the old Mataram Selaparang Airport.

The BIL worth 945.8 billion rupiah has a passenger terminal measuring 21 thousand square meters or four times wider than that of Selaparang Mataram Airport which is only 4,796 square meters. One US dollar is about 900 rupiah.

The operational and technical director of state-owned airport management company PT Angkasa Pura-I, Haryoso Catur Prayitno, said in Central Lombok recently, the BIL`s passenger accommodating capacity is three million passengers a year with a parking area of 17,500 square meters, while Selaparang airport`s parking lot is only 7,334 square meters.

In addition, the BIL has a runway of 2,750 meters x 40 meters square, so it can accommodate ten Air Bus 330 or Boeing 767 air planes, Haryoso said.

The Lombok International Airport, according to Harsono, is located on 551 hectares of land, which is about 40 kilometers south of Mataram Selaparang Airport.

Haryoso made the statement when accompanying the NTB governor M Zainul Majdi at time of inaugurating the accelerating program of the road infrastructure development in Praya, Central Lombok district on Saturday (July 30/2011).

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to inaugurate the Lombok International Airport on October 1 this year, the governor said.

Foreign tourist arrivals grow 9.9 pct in June

Indonesia's foreign tourist arrivals grew 9.9 percent in June to 674,400 people, the statistics bureau said on Monday.

The main destinations were the resort island of Bali and capital Jakarta, it said.

The archipelago lags regional neighbours in attracting tourists, though some economists think growing its service industries could be a new engine of growth for Southeast Asia's largest economy.