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Garuda reconfirms commitment to Bali - with direct flights

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Look out for the upcoming pop/rock music CD entitled "It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This" by Hallo Mister. The CD will be launched here in Bali in October/November 2006 and will be available at many hotels and other locations around the island. Coming soon to a beautiful room near you!

Despite regular hiccups in the form of bombings, Bali isn?t facing any shortage of bullish investors. It is being openly acknowledged that the island still attracts investors for super-luxury hotels for the rich and famous, providing a fillip to the tourism industry. This is despite two bombings in the past four years. Bulgari, an Italian brand famous for watches and jeweler, has opened its second luxury hotel in the world on the cliff hills of Bali?s southwest. On its part, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is also expanding its operations in the country. ?I believe that the bombings will hurt only for a short time, but eventually the tourism will go up again. . . because Bali has the history, beauty and kindness of the people,? says company?s chief executive officer Francesco Trapani. ?Looking at Bulgari, which has set a high standard of service and price, and they think it can be reached, I think it will bring the tourism market to a higher segmentation,? Bali tourism board executive director Wiwin Suyasa reportedly said. ?It proves that Bali can achieve that target level, and adds to our pride and confidence as a main tourist destination.? The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is to expand its presence in Jakarta with the opening in mid 2007 of The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Place, a 61-room boutique hotel strategically located in the heart of the city?s commercial district. This will be the third Ritz-Carlton property in Indonesia, joining The Ritz-Carlton, Jakarta and The Ritz-Carlton, Bali Resort & Spa. Among other developments, the Bali Hilton International Hotel officially changed its name to Ayodya Resort Bali recently. ?Bali has changed as a tourist destination in the last decade. There is a growing demand for cultural tourism and a resort experience with a greater ?sense of place?. Our name change will enable us to respond to the rapidly increasing demand for hotels with individual character and away from ?generic? chain branded hotels geared more toward mass-market appeal,? said Peter O?Connor, Ayodya?s general manager. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Indonesia saw five million foreign arrivals last year, down from 5.3 million in 2004. The downturn coincides with an increase in tourist numbers across the world, with United Nations World Tourism Organization statistics recording a 5.5 percent increase last year.

Bali has recently enjoyed plenty of overdue good news. Last month US Travel & Leisure magazine awarded it for the fifth time the gong of ?World?s Best Island?. In the same survey (of 23,000 respondents), Bali was also crowned ?Asia?s Best Island? for the seventh time, and three of its hotels were ranked in the world?s top ten ? the Four Seasons at Sayan (second place), the Four Seasons at Jimbaran (fifth) and the Ritz-Carlton (seventh). ?I just had the best time ? it was absolutely fantastic,? said personality management entrepreneur Mr Harry M Miller on his recent return from his first-ever trip to Bali. Singing the praises of Bali?s people and hospitality, Miller noted pointedly that ?This wonderful place and wonderful people do not deserve the negative treatment they so often get in the mainstream Australian media, which is often unfair and stupid.? Mr Miller and ?food identity? Simmone Logue visited Bali in conjunction with Conrad Bali Resort & Spa, Alila Hotels and Garuda Indonesia. The Conrad Bali, under the leadership of Australian GM Michael Burchett (also chair of the Bali Hotels Association) has been among the forefront of properties striving to project a positive and secure image, not only of Bali?s hotel sector, but the whole island. He notes that ?when Indonesia sneezes, Bali catches a cold,? referring to the ?overload of negative news? that Indonesia attracts in the Australian press. Balancing this, Mr Burchett also notes the great strengths of Bali for visitors remain ?the people, the culture and the quality of experience.? Set within 6.8 hectares of beachfront gardens and pools facing Nusa Dua lagoon, the luxury, 313-room Conrad Bali has a strict security regimen ? as do the majority of Bali hotels ? involving inspections of the under-body, engine bay and boot of all vehicles entering the hotel grounds. It is a sign of the times that such measures today feature among a hotel?s attributes, alongside its spas, bars, pools, waterfalls, fine dining, seafront bales, executive club, broadband access, extensive kids? facilities and so on. Reassuring rather than ?good? news. On the airline news front, Garuda Indonesia, predictably, has maintained its commitment to its Bali-Australia routes. Significantly, JetStar has shown faith in the returning Australian market by announcing that it will begin flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Denpasar in December. Rumours in Bali persist that Air Paradise might even arise phoenix-like to fly again to Oz, with Bisnis Indonesia reporting that the airline has sold 49% of its shares to an un-named Australian airline

The Bali Hotel Association together with Sekolah Tinggi Pariwisata Bali once again has announced eleven candidates to receive BHA Hospitality Scholarship Awards for 2006/2007. The scholarships sponsored by the Ketut Tantri Foundation and the Annika Linden Foundation to honor the late Annika Linden, who died in the Bali Bombing in October 2002. The scholarship program has been a tremendous success with 2 graduates now employed in hotels in Bali. There are currently 8 students receiving scholarships from BHA are moving on to their second year at STP.

The Bali Hotels Association,together with Sekolah Tinggi Pariwisata (STP) Bali, has selected eight candidates who will recieve BHA Hospitality Scholarship for 2006. The Scholarship provided by Annika Linden Foundation,established to honor the late Annika Linden,who died in the Bali Bombing in October 2002 and Ketut Tantri Foundation.

With the recent government decree to decrease energy consumption in Indonesia the Bali Hotels Association Environment Committee has examined ways their hotel members and other hotels in Bali can reduce their energy costs, while still providing the quality services required for travellers. Significant levels of energy can be consumed by infrastructure and transport. An overall reduction in energy consumed will reduce operational costs and can have major environmental benefits, primarily through conservation of natural resources and lowering of the associated greenhouse gas emissions