 |
| Garuda Indonesia |
THE first Garuda Indonesia flight in to Brisbane in more than five years will touch down in the capital today to launch the start of daily flights between Queensland and Bali.
The Boeing 737-800 will depart Denpasar at 8.40am, arriving in Brisbane this afternoon.Virgin is the only other airline offering flights to Indonesia out of Brisbane, with seven-to-10 flights a week.
Tourism officials are excited by the commitment of Garuda, which comes after a five-year absence from Brisbane.
The daily flights have the potential to bring an extra 25,000 visitors a year to Queensland from the growing Indonesian economy.
It is hoped its success will mirror that of Scoot, the low-cost carrier based out of Singapore, which has injected $100 million in to the Queensland economy since the airline started flights to the Gold Coast just over a year ago.
Brisbane Airport Corporation CEO Julieanne Alroe said Indonesia's national carrier would be welcomed back to Brisbane with open arms.
"The daily direct flights between Brisbane and Indonesia will not only provide travellers with greater choice and convenience, the return of Garuda Indonesia to Brisbane will help strengthen tourism and trade in both directions," she said.
With Garuda Indonesia's free sporting equipment allowance all passengers will also be able to take up to 23kg extra checked baggage in addition to the carrier's baggage allowance of 30kg in Economy and 40kg in Business Class.
via bali - Google News /www.couriermail. com. au/news/queensland/garuda-indonesia-begins-direct-and-daily-flights-from-bali-to-brisbane-after-5year-absence/story-fnihsrf2-1226688923146
Horwath publishes its study on the Bali hotel market
Luc Citrinot - 01 August 2013, 02:05 
Horwath HTL, Asia released this week a special market report in the hotel and branded residential market. The report co-branded with local specialists C9 Hotelworks is an in-depth look into Bali, including hotel performance, tourism prospects, competition, supply and demand and trends.
DENPASAR- According to Horwath HTL, Bali is now receiving over eight million foreign visitors per year, thanks to growth rate averaging 13% growth annually between 2004 and 2011.
Prospects for Bali's tourism and hotel industries are more positive than ever,especially as Bali airport expansion is supposed to be completed before the hosting of the APEC summit next October. The new airport expansion promises to support Bali's ability to bring in more tourists.
Based on Indonesia's Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) figures, there were more than 22,000 hotel rooms available in Bali by the end of 2011. In 2012, more than 3,400 additional hotel rooms entered the market. Subsequently, another 4,700 rooms are slated for opening in 2013, and a further 4,100 rooms from 2014 to 2016. Accordingly, more than 12,000 new rooms are expected to enter the market by the end of 2016.
The enourmous increase of hotel room supply between 2012 and 2013 is in anticipation of international events; the largest and most high profile of APEC Summit planned in 2013.
Nearly half of the new hotel supply is expected in West Bali. Even though a hotel development moratorium has been in effect in Badung, Denpasar and Gianyar Regencies since January 2010,development projects in these regencies continue unabated. Most are associated with development permits issued prior to the moratorium. Hoteliers in Bali are asking the government to limit supply additions as they are concerned about an over-supply of hotel rooms on the island, as well as the drain on an already stressed infrastructure.
As previously noted, hotel occupancy for rate B and C hotels is already declining due to the increased supply. Bali hoteliers learned from the difficult times between 2002 and 2007 and most hotels are looking to build their rates, instead of occupancy: all segments of the market indicate increased, ADR levels.
Existing hotels currently have the luxury to focus on selective markets by means of optimizing yields, as opposed to the shotgun approach in attempting to attract the general market that prevailed in the past.
Hotel developers traditionally have the tendency to build in the Western and Southern parts of Bali, primarily due to the proximity to the airport. These investors learned early on that if they develop further away from the airport in more isolated areas, these hotels are more susceptible to downturns as the island experienced in 2002 – 2007.
www.traveldailynews. asia/news/article/53027/horwath-publishes-its-study-on
Tourism organizations, in cooperation with the sports committee, are
planning various events under the Bali Sports Tourism program to promote
the island as a sports destination.
The Indonesian Tourism Businesses Association (GIPI) and the Bali Tourism Promotion Board (BPPD) will work together with the Bali branch of the National Sports Committee (KONI) to hold the events, aiming to attract more visitors to Bali and at the same time provide more opportunities for athletes to compete.
The first event to be held under this program is Bali Sports Week 2013, which is scheduled for Nov. 1 to 17, involving nine separate sporting events and one recreational event.
“We hope the events will make Bali better known as a sports destination,” GIPI chairman Ngurah Wijaya, also the chairman of Bali Sports Week, said recently.
The event will be held in Bali’s low season to help the tourist industry attract more tourists.
Bali Sports Week will feature nine competitive events — marathon, supercross, swimming, off-road racing, chess, volleyball, gateball, woodball and badminton. The event, in which more than 1,000 athletes are expected to participate, will also include one recreational event: cycling around Bali.
The swimming competition will be held in open water, with two distance categories: five and 10 kilometers.
The gateball matches, scheduled for Nov. 14 and 15, are expected to see 64 teams participate.
Plans are still underway for the badminton competition as this will have to be synchronized with the national team’s schedule.
The marathon is intended to be the closing event, held on Nov. 17. The organizers are seeking permission to hold the marathon on Bali’s new toll road with the start and finish line in Nusa Dua.
As an alternative, if they could not obtain permission, the marathon would take place on Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai.
“We will promote this event so that it can attract more domestic and foreign tourists and amateur athletes that will take part in the competitions,” Ngurah said.
While the event would have a positive impact on the island’s tourism, it would also be good for KONI, since the achievements of Indonesian athletes would improve, he added.
According to Ngurah, Bali had the potential to be a sports destination, partly because of its nature, citing that various water sports could be done in the island’s waters.
“As for the other sports, Bali still needs to improve its facilities, like sports stadium and fields, and facilities for athletics. It would be good if Bali had a sport center,” he said.
He added that regular sports events organized by the private sector had been held in Bali every year, were well-managed and could be promoted more widely, including by involving KONI and the tourist industry.
The Indonesian Tourism Businesses Association (GIPI) and the Bali Tourism Promotion Board (BPPD) will work together with the Bali branch of the National Sports Committee (KONI) to hold the events, aiming to attract more visitors to Bali and at the same time provide more opportunities for athletes to compete.
The first event to be held under this program is Bali Sports Week 2013, which is scheduled for Nov. 1 to 17, involving nine separate sporting events and one recreational event.
“We hope the events will make Bali better known as a sports destination,” GIPI chairman Ngurah Wijaya, also the chairman of Bali Sports Week, said recently.
The event will be held in Bali’s low season to help the tourist industry attract more tourists.
Bali Sports Week will feature nine competitive events — marathon, supercross, swimming, off-road racing, chess, volleyball, gateball, woodball and badminton. The event, in which more than 1,000 athletes are expected to participate, will also include one recreational event: cycling around Bali.
The swimming competition will be held in open water, with two distance categories: five and 10 kilometers.
The gateball matches, scheduled for Nov. 14 and 15, are expected to see 64 teams participate.
Plans are still underway for the badminton competition as this will have to be synchronized with the national team’s schedule.
The marathon is intended to be the closing event, held on Nov. 17. The organizers are seeking permission to hold the marathon on Bali’s new toll road with the start and finish line in Nusa Dua.
As an alternative, if they could not obtain permission, the marathon would take place on Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai.
“We will promote this event so that it can attract more domestic and foreign tourists and amateur athletes that will take part in the competitions,” Ngurah said.
While the event would have a positive impact on the island’s tourism, it would also be good for KONI, since the achievements of Indonesian athletes would improve, he added.
According to Ngurah, Bali had the potential to be a sports destination, partly because of its nature, citing that various water sports could be done in the island’s waters.
“As for the other sports, Bali still needs to improve its facilities, like sports stadium and fields, and facilities for athletics. It would be good if Bali had a sport center,” he said.
He added that regular sports events organized by the private sector had been held in Bali every year, were well-managed and could be promoted more widely, including by involving KONI and the tourist industry.
New drug: Vicky Adi Priono, the suspect in the smuggling of 102 "Love Drug" pills looks on as an officer shows off the confiscated blue pills to journalists. BD/Zul Trio AnggonoCustoms officers at Renon Post Office have circumvented the delivery of a new type of drug into Bali.
The drug, methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), which is similar to ecstasy, was sent via the Indonesian postal system (Pos Indonesia) in a package resembling a document.
Head of customs service and monitoring at Ngurah Rai International Airport, I Made Wijaya, said that it was the latest drug trafficking method found in Indonesia.
"This has never been done before," said Wijaya on Wednesday.
Customs officers and Bali Police personnel nabbed Vicky Adi Priono, 27, when he collected the package at the Jl. Kediri post office in Tuban on Monday morning.
The package, addressed to Nia Christian, contained 102 MDA pills. The blue pills are also known as the "Love Drug" and are claimed to improve sexual pleasure. Although resembling ecstasy, the effects of MDA are believed to last longer, for six to 10 hours, rather than three to six.
Vicky, who works for a private company, said he was told by his friend to pick up the package.
"I didn't know it was a drug. She told me it's just a letter," Vicky told the media.
Vicky said that he had been willing to collect the package because he was a good friend of the person named on the package. The drugs arrived at Renon Post Office from the Netherlands on July 23.
"There's a possibility that the name and address on the package are false. We need to follow up," said Wijaya.
It took six days to apprehend Vicky.
"We examined the package first at the customs laboratory in Surabaya," said Wijaya.
MDA is marketed at Rp 450,000 (US$43.70) per pill. Thus, the confiscated package is worth Rp 45.9 million.
According to article 113 (2) of Law No. 35/2009 on drugs, Vicky, who originates from Surabaya, may face the death penalty for his involvement.
Last month, custom officers at Ngurah Rai airport also caught two foreigners, Nicolas Lottefier, 38, from Belgium, and David Alexandre Guigues, 30, from France.
Both arrived in Bali on AirAsia. Lottefier allegedly brought 11.37 grams of hashish worth Rp 6.822 million in his backpack and was caught on June 19 after disembarking a flight from Bangkok.
Meanwhile, Guigues allegedly smuggled 0.79 grams of marijuana worth Rp 474,000 from Kuala Lumpur and was caught on June 13.
Both are currently being legally processed at Bali Police headquarters.
via bali - Google News www.thejakartapost. com/bali-daily/2013-08-01/new-type-drug-arrives-bali-post.html
The Bali Tobacco Control Initiative group from Udayana University’s
public health department has called on the government to reject the
World Tobacco Asia (WTA) conference, slated to be held in Nusa Dua next
year.
“The conference in Bali is against our commitment to encourage people to live healthily without cigarettes. We are urging the government to ban the conference from being held in Bali,” program coordinator of Bali Tobacco Control Initiative, Made Kerta Duana, said recently.
World Tobacco Asia is an annual international tobacco conference that offers the tobacco industry a forum to build relationships and demonstrate their products and services to the Indonesian, Asia-Pacific and Australian tobacco communities.
On its official website, it states World Tobacco Asia 2014 will take place at Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center from Sept. 24 to 25, 2014. The event will consist of an exhibition, conference and exhibitor business presentations, attracting visitors who are seriously involved in the tobacco industry. It will also have an extensive promotional campaign involving targeted mailings, as well as advertising, in Tobacco Journal International and other media sources.
“Exhibiting at World Tobacco Asia 2014 will be the perfect opportunity for you to give your company the business edge in this highly competitive market by: Discussing your products with your existing clients under the same roof at the same time, gaining new contacts and obtaining new business leads from visitors from your target markets, launching new products, raising awareness of your brand and product portfolio, meeting existing and potential working partners from amongst the other exhibitors,” it states on the website.
Duana said that Bali was now being work hard to enforce its smoke-free policy, as stipulated in Bylaw No. 10/2011 on smoke-free zones. “It would be strange for the Bali government to support the conference,” Duana said.
Enacted in 2011, the Bali smoke-free zone bylaw clears the way to banning smoking across broad swathes of the island. The bylaw states that hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, places of worship, healthcare facilities, schools, playgrounds, traditional and modern markets, transportation terminals, airports, government offices and public transportation are to be smoke-free areas. Advertising and sales of tobacco products have also been banned in these places, except for those regulated by a specific governor regulation. Anyone who smokes or provides cigarettes in the area may face three months’ imprisonment or a fine of Rp 50,000 (US$4.86).
Violation of the bylaw on smoke-free zones, Duana added, was still rampant. Many hotels, hospitals, universities, and even government offices, were still violating the bylaw.
“We are struggling to enforce the law. Having World Tobacco Asia held in Bali would be a step back for Bali,” Duana said.
He admitted that the local government had no authority to ban the conference being held here, as the permit was issued by the central government. “But we hope that at least the local government can declare that they do not support the conference,” he added.
A local health survey conducted by Bali Health Agency showed that the prevalence of young smokers in Bali had reached 31 percent in 2010, while in 2007 it was 24.9 percent. Public polling on the smoke-free zone bylaw showed that 93.1 percent of respondents supported the bylaw and 92.7 percent supported the designation of places of worship as no-smoking zones.
Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the Udayana University’s public health department in 2011 involving 194 respondents found that 34 percent of smokers were aged between 13 and 22 years old. Around 60 percent of these were junior high school students. Around 68 teenagers said their habits derived from one of their family members.
“The conference in Bali is against our commitment to encourage people to live healthily without cigarettes. We are urging the government to ban the conference from being held in Bali,” program coordinator of Bali Tobacco Control Initiative, Made Kerta Duana, said recently.
World Tobacco Asia is an annual international tobacco conference that offers the tobacco industry a forum to build relationships and demonstrate their products and services to the Indonesian, Asia-Pacific and Australian tobacco communities.
On its official website, it states World Tobacco Asia 2014 will take place at Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center from Sept. 24 to 25, 2014. The event will consist of an exhibition, conference and exhibitor business presentations, attracting visitors who are seriously involved in the tobacco industry. It will also have an extensive promotional campaign involving targeted mailings, as well as advertising, in Tobacco Journal International and other media sources.
“Exhibiting at World Tobacco Asia 2014 will be the perfect opportunity for you to give your company the business edge in this highly competitive market by: Discussing your products with your existing clients under the same roof at the same time, gaining new contacts and obtaining new business leads from visitors from your target markets, launching new products, raising awareness of your brand and product portfolio, meeting existing and potential working partners from amongst the other exhibitors,” it states on the website.
Duana said that Bali was now being work hard to enforce its smoke-free policy, as stipulated in Bylaw No. 10/2011 on smoke-free zones. “It would be strange for the Bali government to support the conference,” Duana said.
Enacted in 2011, the Bali smoke-free zone bylaw clears the way to banning smoking across broad swathes of the island. The bylaw states that hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, places of worship, healthcare facilities, schools, playgrounds, traditional and modern markets, transportation terminals, airports, government offices and public transportation are to be smoke-free areas. Advertising and sales of tobacco products have also been banned in these places, except for those regulated by a specific governor regulation. Anyone who smokes or provides cigarettes in the area may face three months’ imprisonment or a fine of Rp 50,000 (US$4.86).
Violation of the bylaw on smoke-free zones, Duana added, was still rampant. Many hotels, hospitals, universities, and even government offices, were still violating the bylaw.
“We are struggling to enforce the law. Having World Tobacco Asia held in Bali would be a step back for Bali,” Duana said.
He admitted that the local government had no authority to ban the conference being held here, as the permit was issued by the central government. “But we hope that at least the local government can declare that they do not support the conference,” he added.
A local health survey conducted by Bali Health Agency showed that the prevalence of young smokers in Bali had reached 31 percent in 2010, while in 2007 it was 24.9 percent. Public polling on the smoke-free zone bylaw showed that 93.1 percent of respondents supported the bylaw and 92.7 percent supported the designation of places of worship as no-smoking zones.
Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the Udayana University’s public health department in 2011 involving 194 respondents found that 34 percent of smokers were aged between 13 and 22 years old. Around 60 percent of these were junior high school students. Around 68 teenagers said their habits derived from one of their family members.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)