Bali selected as one of the world`s best islands by Travel & Leisure Magazine

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said he was proud of Bali for being selected as one of the worlds best islands by the US Travel+Leisure Magazine at the end of 2015.

"I am very proud of Bali for being selected as one of the worlds best islands," the minister said here on Sunday.

Based on the New York-based Travel+Leisure Magazine, the ratings of the worlds best islands are Galapagos Islands of Ecuador with a score of 90.82, Bali of Indonesia (Score 88.98), Maldives (score: 88.53), Tasmania of Australia (score: 88.32), Santorini of Greece (score: 87.93), Moorea of French Polynesia (score: 87.90), Maui of Hawaii (score: 87.89), Kauai of Hawaii (score: 87,88), Great Barrier Reef of Australia (score: 87.31), and Malta (score: 86.90).

The minister said he was proud of the trust given to Bali by the world community which appreciated Bali for the beauty of its nature, the uniqueness of its culture and the hospitality of its people.

The minister said he would promote other destinations in the country whose beauty were not inferior to that of Bali.

"We have to be confident that our tourism is great for snorkling with the beauty of its diving tourism. We can outclass Galapagos, even with our two Rajaampat and Pulau Komodo tourist distinations," he said.

The Travel + Leisure is a monthly magazine based in New York with 4.8 million readers. It is the biggest competitor of Conde Nast Traveler and National Geographic Traveler.

In the meantime, the Bali Tourism Office has set the target for tourist arrivals at the world-renowned tourist island at 4.2 million for 2016.

"This is a provisional target. We have not made detailed calculations because we still have to coordinate with the Udayana University. Ideally, it should be 4.5 million but we cannot set a target recklessly," Head of the Bali Tourism Office Anak Agung Gede Yuniartha Putra said.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of a function marking the inauguration of the executive board members of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) on December 16, 2015.

The provisional target would be only 200 thousand more tourists, compared to the target set for tourist arrivals in 2015 at 4 million, he said.

"To achieve the target of tourist arrivals next year, we will receive promotion assistance from the central government. In addition, we have also prepared a calendar of activities to be organized throughout 2016," he said.

With the calendar of activities, tourists would be assured of cultural and tourism activities taking place in Bali, he said.

The tourism office has also set the target of domestic tourists visiting the resort island for 2016 at 7.8 million, he said.

The Chairman of PHRI of Bali Chapter, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati, urged that for increasing the number of tourist arrivals, the quality of tourist destinations in Bali needs to be improved. (Antara)