Tourism Indonesia

Baturraden Declared Central Java’s Best Tourist Destination

2009-10-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

Baturraden, a nature conservation park located at the foot of Mount Slamet, won the award for best eco-tourism destination in Central Java. The Best Man-Made Tourism site award went to Bojongsari (Owabong) water tourism in Purbalingga. “We were judged as the best in the competition in Central Java,” said Baturraden Tourism Manager in Banyumas, Soedarto, yesterday. He also said that Baturraden was considered the cleanest and most comfortable tourist site.

The management of this site was also judged as the best among other eco-tourism destinations. Baturraden beat out Sodokoro, Karanganyar, and Alam Indah Beach in Tegal. "I was surprised when the site was announced as the winner,” Soedarto said. The 16,8 hectare tourist site, located 650 meter above sea level, is visited by 3.000 people daily during holidays or 140.000 people each year. “We contributed Rp 2,5 billion to Banyumas revenues,” he added. Owabong won the award for excelling in three criteria: service, cleanliness and hospitality.

No Foreign Tourist Killed In Sumatran Quake

2009-10-13T07:19:00.001-07:00

Indonesian authorities on Tuesday confirmed that no foreign tourist was killed in the earthquake which struck western Sumatra on Sept 30.

Chief of the Indonesian Disaster Relief Organisation, Syamsul Maarif, said that though 11 hotels in Padang were damaged by the 7.9-magnitude quake, no foreign tourists were reported dead.

He said there had been no reports of families of foreigners on missing relatives in the quake-hit zone.

Antara news agency reported that 805 people were killed in the quake, 891 were seriously injured, 1,365 were slight injured, 241 were missing and 410 had been relocated.

Indonesia targets 7 million foreign tourists next year

2009-10-13T01:14:00.000-07:00

Indonesian government targets 7 million of foreign tourists in 2010, an increase from this year's estimation of 6.4 million, an official said on Tuesday.

Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Director General of Marketing Sapta Nirwandar said that the government also targeted US$7.5 billion of foreign exchange from tourism in 2010.

"It may seem hard to reach but we, along with all of tourism-related institutions across the nation, have pledged to work hard in order to achieve that targets," Sapta told the press.

Sapta claimed that the growth of foreign tourists in Indonesia in 2009 was better than those of other Southeast Asian countries.

"Our growth is 2.9 percent while Malaysia's is 2.1 percent," he said optimistically.

Sapta said that Indonesia would focus on community based promotions rather than advertising. "Advertisement is expensive, our budget may be absorbed greatly," he said.

Balinale International Film Festival – October 20-25, 2009

2009-10-12T21:17:00.000-07:00

Schedule of Film Screenings at the Bali Film Festival.

(10/10/2009) First established in 2007, the Balinale International Film Festival returns to Bali October 20-25, 2009, steadfast in its commitment to provide an opportunity for international filmmakers to show and screen their films to the Indonesian market while, simultaneously, exposing Indonesia's culture and unrivalled beauty to the international filmmaking community.

If it's about film, expect to find it at the Balinale International Film Festival: Six days of workshops, social gatherings and film screenings appealing to both those working in the film industry or to popcorn-fueled movie maniacs.

A Genuine Bargain

Perhaps the best thing about the Balinale is its prices. Friends of the Festival Passes with priority admission to all films cost only Rp. 150,000 per person (US$15), while tickets to individual screenings sell for only Rp. 25,000 (US$2.50). Tickets are limited and many showing are expected to be sell-outs! Early ticket purchase is strongly recommended.

The Schedule

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

18:30 Red Carpet Arrival

19:30 Coffee and Allah NZ (14 min) and Mary and Max (80 Min) Australia

20:30 After-film party at Planet Hollywood

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

13:00 Seminar: How to Develop a Screenplay

14:30 Darah and Dupa (17 min) and Princess of Africa (76 min) Spain

17:00 Snaked: A Moroccan Adventure (6 min) USA and Morning of the Earth (87 min) Australia

19:00 Tokyo Sonata (120 min) Japan

21:00 Hush Baby (4 min) Singapore and Oh My God (93 min) USA

Thursday, October 22, 2009

13:00 Seminar: Trials and Tribulations of Producing

14:30 El Sistema (120 min) Venezuela

17:00 Still Bill (82 min) USA

19:00 White (3 min) Singapore; Twogether (2 min) Singapore; Valentino: The Last Emperor (97 min) USA

21:00 Kanchivaram (117 min) India

Friday, October 23, 2009

13:00 Seminar: Introduction to Filmmaking

14:30 Fais Comme Chez Toi (20 min) France and Banilieu 13 – Ultimatum (101 min) France

17:00 Il Divo (117 min) Italy

19:00 Pasangan Baru (15 min); Blood & Milk; Drupadi (40 min) – Indonesia

21:00 Dirty Bitch (14 min) Singapore and Inglorious Basterds (152 min) USA

Saturday, October 24, 2009

10:00 Flower in the Pocket (97 min) Malaysia

Sunday, October 25, 2009

10:00 Meraih Mimpi (80 min) Indonesia

For more information and film details [Balinale International Film Festival Website].

© Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com. All images and graphics are copyright protected.

A New Look for ‘Jakarta Inside Out’

2009-10-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

In his introduction to “Jakarta Inside Out,” author Daniel Ziv writes that he dreamt up the book as “a love letter” to the city he has “been proud to call home for nearly a decade.” It reads as a letter to a longstanding love — not the naive, starry-eyed infatuation one feels for a new amour but the warts-and-all, love-you-despite-your-faults (and sometimes because of them) type of love.

As a resident of Jakarta for a little over a year myself, Ziv’s book made me reassess this capricious city with a more tolerant eye. He sugarcoats little, makes fun of much and brilliantly illustrates the contradictions one constantly finds here with the many beautiful photographs contained in the book. Each picture here is worth a thousand words, if not more, from the skeletal figure of a slum dweller in the doorway of his shanty house to images of the vibrant, affluent business area and homes shown elsewhere.

The chapters of the book are arranged alphabetically, ranging from “Asongan” to “Wartel and Warnet,” and are also cross-referenced. There are no entries for X, Y or Z obviously, and Q and V also missed the cut.

The descriptions are humorous (bajaj are “undoubtedly the cockroach of the automotive world”) and sometimes cynical (Jakarta’s banks “tend to resemble laundromats more than prudent financial institutions”), but always worth reading. I am obviously not the only person to think so as this is basically a revamped and updated fourth printing of the second edition, put out because the last printing has been out of stock for about a year.

One of my favorite characterizations is in the chapter on “Bule” (foreigners). “Some bule are arrogant, bossy or patronizing,” Ziv writes. “Others are politically correct to the extreme, culturally oversensitive or just totally neurotic.”

Adrian Darmono — a friend whom Ziv describes as a “cutting-edge Indonesian designer, blogger and Certified Bule Observer” — contributes a chapter titled “You Know You’re a Bule with a Mission if You ... .” The cutting but all-too-true examples include “Rant about how Nike exploits its factory workers in Indonesia by paying them $35 a month,” closely followed by “Rave about how you can have breakfast in Indonesia for 35 cents.”

More..

Balekambang to be a Flora and Fauna Tourism Area

2009-10-11T19:26:00.001-07:00

The Surakarta municipality plans to transform the Balekambang Park into a flora and fauna tourism site. At the remains of Mangkunegara VII, a market selling animals for pets will also be built.

“We have finished the design,” Surakarta Public Market Office chief, Subagyo, said yesterday.

The market construction is scheduled to begin in 2010. “The budget is around Rp 20 billion,” Subagyo said. The market will be integrated with the Balekambang Park. “Balekambang will have a bigger attraction for tourists.”

Miss Universe plays Angklung in Bandung

2009-10-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Miss Universe from Venezuela, Stefania Vernandez on Sunday played a West Java traditional musical instrument, Angklung, in her visit to Saung Angklung Udjo at Padasuka road in Bandung, West Java.

In her visit to the Saung Angklung Udjo, the Miss Universe was among other things accompanied by the 2008 and 2009 Miss Indonesian finalists, and was also greeted with traditional dances performed by children of West Java.

In addition to the children dancing, the Miss Universe was also greeted by a puppet show played by Ki Dalang, the puppeteer.

According to the Miss Universe Stefania Fernandez, people need to love their own culture. Moreover, some of the Indonesian cultures were claimed by Malaysia.

"Do not let the own culture is taken by other countries. Therefore we need to love our own culture," said Stefania.

On Saturday (Oct.10) night, the new Miss Universe Stefania Vernandez, attended the coronation of Miss Indonesia in Jakarta.

Carnival lights up Ubud Fest

2009-10-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

Ubud was a cacophony of sounds and words during Saturday's session of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, with a poetry slam, a street party and several discussions highlighting the fourth day of the festival.

The poetry slam session featured Omar Musa, an Australian hip-hop artist and spoken-word performer, who won the Australian National Poetry Slam.

The lively festival continued with a street party on Jl. Kajeng, which is deemed one of Ubud's most charming streets. During the party, people shared the community spirit and the local food in a carnival-type atmosphere of Barongs, monologues, poetry, comedy and music performances all along the street.

Saturday's festival saw some lively discussions between emerging local and international writers.

In a session themed "The Legacy of Rendra", Australian Max Lane - who translated some of W.S. Rendra's works including Perjuangan Suku Naga (The Struggle of the Naga Tribe) - said Rendra's works had yet to be influential in Indonesia.

During the full-day workshop, foreign participants learned one of the iconic art forms of Bali.

There was also the launch of Not a Muse, an anthology about 21st century woman, featuring more than 100 poets from 24 countries.

The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival will close tomorrow night at the Antonio Blanco Renaissance Museum and will feature performances by musicians and street performers.

Japanese Matsuri festival to boost Indo-Japan ties

2009-10-10T04:59:00.000-07:00

The city administration and the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta are preparing the first-ever Jak-Japan Matsuri festival here in October in an effort to maintain relations between Indonesia and Japan.

The festival, to take place in several places in the city from Oct. 3 to Oct. 11, will feature various Japanese cultural performances, as well as exhibitions, seminars and contests.

Head of the organizing committee, Kuroda Kenichi, said the festival was held to gather the efforts of stakeholders who had frequently hold forums here to maintain the two countries' relations.

"At this festival, we will gather the Indonesian and the Japanese communities through a series of events that will allow them to interact.

"We hope the festival will become an annual event in Jakarta and can be expanded to other cities in Indonesia in the future."

The festival is supported by Jakarta-based groups, including the Jakarta Japan Club, Jakarta Shimbun daily and Jakarta Matsuri Noai.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said the administration and the organizing committee had started discussing the idea to hold Jak-Japan Matsuri since early this year, adding he was glad they were able to proceed with the plan despite the capital's recent hotel bombings.

"Through this festival, we will assure the Japanese that Jakarta is as safe as other international metropolitan cities. Threats linger, but we always try to limit the movements of those trying to disturb security."

The festival will be opened by a Japanese Education Exhibition at the Jakarta Convention Center in Senayan, and will be closed by some cultural performances at the National Monument (Monas) park.

At least 30 universities in Japan will participate, and are set to give presentations to Indonesian students about studying in Japan.

The festival will feature a Japanese-language musical show by Indonesian university students in Jakarta Art Building (GKJ) in Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta, in Oct. 3.

There will be another event, Jakarta Sakura Matsuri, at Nikko Hotel from Oct. 3 to Oct. 11, where various Japanese traditions will be shared.

Other events include a sushi-making contest, sports, seminars and a Kelompok Orkestra Nusantara-Tokyo Philharmony Orchestra concert.

The organizing committee is inviting anyone willing to participate in the festival to contact Mamiko at 021-31924308 or emailing to jw-jakarta@hotmail.co.jp.

Ngurah Rai International Airport in Indonesia all set for expansion

2009-10-08T07:14:00.001-07:00

Expansion project at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia, will commence in January 2010, featuring extension of both international and domestic passenger terminals, parking lots, and other supporting facilities.

The IDR1.5 trillion expansion project ($15 million approx.) will cover the extension of both international and domestic passenger terminals, parking lots and other supporting facilities. The exterior design of the airport features Balinese style of architecture.

The project has been delayed several times as the governor rejected the previous plan. The current international terminal is 63,246 square meters with a capacity to handle 7.4 million visitors annually. The current domestic terminal spans 11,255 square meters and can receive 1.5 million passengers. The redesigned plan features 30% reduction in the size of the business site. The remaining 10% will be used for public areas.

Jakarta to have Oktoberfest

2009-10-07T01:31:00.001-07:00

Aryaduta Hotel in Central Jakarta will bring Germany's Oktoberfest to Jakarta on Thursday and Friday.

The two-day festival will be the 21st such event Aryaduta has held since 1988.

The party expects to see 1,300 guests from various German companies in Indonesia.

Aryaduta will also feature Bavarian music by Garmisch-Partenkircner Musikanten from Germany.

"Oktoberfest is known not only for its beer, but also for its traditional folk dances," corporate public relations manager of the Aryaduta Hotel Group, Sharon Tjokrorahardjo, told kompas.com.

Oktoberfest in Jakarta is sponsored by several German companies like Mercedes-Benz and Lufthansa.

Ambacang Hotel Chef Killed While Trying To Save His Staff in Padang Quake

2009-10-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

Zildayenti cried when she saw a cellular phone and a mud covered wallet which used to belong to her son, Budi Susanto, 26, who worked as a head chef at the Ambacang Hotel in Padang, West Sumatra. Budi could have escaped from the building, but instead he decided to save his staff and was killed with more than 100 others when the hotel collapsed during last week’s powerful earthquake.

“Abang could have escaped because he was near the door, but as a responsible head chef, he couldn’t abandon his crew,” said Ari, Budi’s brother who also worked at the hotel as a pastry chef.

“Abang ran back into the kitchen and helped his staff escape. He helped me out but then he ran back in again and that was the last time I saw him,” he said.

Zildayenti sobbed as rescue officers emptied out the content of her son’s wallet, which mainly consisted of foreign currencies such as ringgit, dollars, baht, rupee and his identification card.

“Budi was a good son,” she said between sobs.

Budi Susanto’s body was found on Monday at 11 a.m. His body was trapped between concrete walls and wooden panels near the hotel’s swimming pool.

Dewa Batuan to hold painting exhibition in Spain

2009-10-05T16:52:00.000-07:00

Dewa Nyoman Batuan (63), a well known artist born in Pengosekan, Ubud, Gianyar regency, Bali, will hold an international painting exhibition in Spain.

"A total of 15 paintings themed `Mandala`(shrine) and an the assistance of an old and close friend had been sent to Spain," said Dewa Nyoman Batuan in Ubud Sunday.

He said that the exhibition is scheduled in mid-October or early in November 2009.

"The sponsor will come to Bali soon for preparations to make a success of the exhibition," said Dewa Batuan.

He explained that the sponsor is also an artist and have lived tens of years in Ubud, a village of artists, and also planned to hold an exhibition in Bali.

The logistics for the exhibitions in Spain, would be prepared in an exhibition in Bali," Dewa Batuan who published "Mandala, Paintings and Writings" in English, said.

Dewa Nyoman Batuan had learnt from his grandfather Pita Maha, who had learnt from Rudof Bonnet, a well known Dutch artist who had also lived in Ubud for quite a long time.

Bonnet and the late Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati, born in Ubud in 1910 along with a local artist, the late I Gusti Nyoman Lempad established the "Pita Maha" in 1936 which had inspired the art of painting and Balinese culture globally.

The main purpose of "Pita Maha" organization was save and preserve works of art by gathering dance and painting artists.

Star-rated Padang hotels` damage runs into billions of Rupiah

2009-10-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

The magnitude-7.6 earthquake that devastated West Sumatra province on Wednesday (Sept.30) has caused damage to 24 star-rated hotels in Padang with their material losses estimated at billions of rupiah, a tourism official said.

The losses do not include damage to roads and other infrastructure in the tourist areas of Padang city, head of the city`s tourism office, Edi Hasmy, said here on Saturday.

"Based on a survey of the 47 hotels existing in Padang, 24 of them proved to have suffered damage with the Ambacang Hotel on Jalan Bundo Kanduang, the Rocky Plaza Hotel on Jalan Permindo, the Hayamwuruk Hotel on Jalan Hayamwuruk, the Mariani Hotel on Jalan Bundo Kanduang and the Nuansa Hotel on Jalan Samudra damaged the worst," he said.

Part of the Bumi Minang hotel building was destroyed, the Dipo hotel on Jalan Diponegoro was damaged moderately, while the Inna Muara Hotel was partially damaged but can still operate while the Sherly Chip restaurant was destroyed.

Arrest Made in Murder of Japanese Tourist

2009-10-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

West Java Man Arrested in Malang in Connection with Death of 33-Year-Old Japanese Woman in Kuta.

(10/3/2009) After a massive nationwide manhunt lasting one week, Bali police have arrested a man suspected of murdering a 33-year-old Japanese female Rika Sano.

Sano's decomposing and battered remains were found on Monday, September 28, 2009, in an empty field on Jalan Mertanadi in Kuta, near the Oleh Oleh Kampoeng Bali store.

The man arrested for the murder, identified by police as David Goltar Wicaksono, was apprehended at a hideaway in Malang, East Java. Police traced the crime to the 26-year-old man, a native of Bandung, West Java, via a MP4 player found at the same location of the dead woman's body. Authorities say the electronic device was owned by the accused and purportedly dropped in a struggle with the Japanese woman. With the help of the cyber-crime unit a picture of the man was found that matched descriptions provided by witnesses of a man with whom Sano left her Kuta hotel.

The information initially led police to a local boarding house in the Pemogan sub-district of Denpasar where the landlord confirmed that Wicaksono had not been seen for several days. Similar efforts to trace the man to his place of employment, a cigarette distributor in Denpasar, were unsuccessful. Based on leads received at his place of residence and employment, police eventually located the man in Malang.

Wicaksono has been flown back to Bali under police escort.

The Crime

The ill-fated Rika Sano was reported missing by her traveling companion, Mayumi Someya, on Friday, September 25, 2009. Sano's body was discovered in tall grass at the vacant lot in Kuta three days later with indications that she had been brutalized and raped prior to her death.

Sano was last seen on the Friday, leaving her hotel with a man, now believed to be Wicaksono, who told hotel staff that he was a plain-clothes officer assigned to the Bali Police.

© Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com. All images and graphics are copyright protected.

Yogyakarta to develop Batik-related tourism

2009-10-03T20:23:00.001-07:00

The Yogyakarta municipal administration intends to develop batik-related tourism in 2010 now that UNESCO has declared it a world cultural heritage item.

"We want to develop batik-related tourism next year in which we will acquaint tourists with the batik-making craft," Yogyakarta Culture and Tourism office spokesperson Yulia Rustianingsih said here on Saturday.

She said UNESCO`s acknowledgment of Indonesian batik was expected to encourage batik makers to preserve their commodity.

"To promote batik-related tourism next year, we will take both domestic and foreign tourists to batik producing villages here and teach them ways to make batik," Yulia said.

She said both domestic and foreign tourists visiting Yogyakarta used to buy batik as souvenirs for their friends and relatives.

Therefore, Yulia said the Beringharjo central batik market would continue to be developed as part of the batik-related tourism efforts in Yogyakarta.

Meanwhile, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at his private home in Cikeas, Bogor, West Java, called on all people on Friday to continue the development and promotion of national batik.

"If we frequently wear batiks, we, besides being grateful, also help develop our own economy, increase employment and mobilize the local economies. Never allow it to happen after 15 years batiks grow in some other countries and we became upset about it. Now after it is being well recognized, it must be developed," the president said when receiving board members of the Indonesia Batik Foundation and batik lovers in connection with batik`s declaration as a world cultural heritage item by UNESCO on Friday.

He said after three of its cultural heritages being declared as part of the 76 world`s cultural heritages, namely the Keris (traditional dagger), Wayang (puppet) and Batik, Indonesia would keep registering its cultural properties.

The head of state on the occasion said that he was just preparing a surprise, namely producing batik with certain designs in cooperation with batik artists. The design would depict three national properties that had been declared a world heritage items, namely the keris, wayang and batik

60 Australians feared missing in Padang

2009-10-03T03:17:00.000-07:00

The Australian government is checking hospitals in Sumatra to find its citizens as about 60 Australians thought to be in the vicinity of the Padang earthquake spot were not accounted for, an official said on Friday.

"Prime minister *Kevin Rudd* said no reports of Australians killed or injured but Australian officials are checking hospitals to find any Australians caught up in the earthquake," the Australian Embassy's public affairs manager Sanchi Davis said through a short text message received on Friday evening.

A 36-person search and rescue team and around 20 medical staff and engineers left Australia for Padang on Friday to help its six-person emergency team already in the province for aid missions.

Earlier on Friday, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith told the ABC that its government was trying to track down around 100 Australians who were thought to be in the area hit by the earthquake.