Indonesia & Bali Tourism New

I Wayan Juniartha , The Jakarta Post , Ubud

Fifteen emerging writers from across Indonesia will have a chance to mingle with renowned international writers, including a Nobel Prize winner, at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2009 (UWRF) in October.

“As a young writer, an opportunity to present and discuss my work with writers from other countries fills my heart with joy,” said Aan Mansyur, one of the chosen 15. “It will also serve as a way for me to learn.” (more…)

Surakarta administration in Central Java is set to hold a youth cultural camp from July 30 to Aug. 1, to commemorate the Majapahit kingdom.

“This is part of our efforts to introduce our culture to youths,” Surakarta Tourism, Art, and Culture Agency head Purnomo Subagyo said Wednesday. (more…)

Kuta, Bali Province (ANTARA News) - Bali hotels` occupancy rate now stands at between 70 and 80 percent but is expected to rise to 100 percent during the Christmas and Year-end holiday season, an industry executive said.

“We even predict that hotels here will be fully booked from Christmas until year-end and new year 2010, just as was the case in previous years,” Gede Wiwin Suyasa, assistant manager of Kartika Plaza hotel, said here on Tuesday. (more…)

Ni Komang Erviani , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar

Tourism magazine Travel and Leisure has named Bali as the best island in the world this the year, against the backdrop of the recent twin bombings of the JW Marriot and Ritz-Carlton hotels in South Jakarta last Friday.

Bali beat out nine other islands — the Galapagos in Ecuador, Cape Breton in Canada, Kauai in Hawaii, Mount Desert in the United States, Maui in Hawaii, the Aeolian in Greece, the Maldives, Big and Vancouver — which were also nominated for the title. (more…)

Zakaria Abd Wahab

YOGYAKARTA CITY, July 27 (Bernama) — Yogyakarta, a province in the island of Jawa, is different from the rest as it is the only place in Indonesia ruled by a monarchy that is steeped in history and tradition.

The monarchy originates from the Sultanate of Mataram that predates to the eighth century and has contributed significantly to Yogyakarta’s rich history, nature, and the traditional and cultural activities of its people. (more…)

Visitors to Bali cannot fail to be delighted by its warm, clear sea and white beaches, writes Hamilton Wende - but the island’s special charms also include its cheeky wildlife.

It was in Bali that I punched my first monkey. A cute, furry beast it was, grey and white with a long tail and an old man’s face hidden in a fluffy mane.

It leapt out of a tree on to my wife’s shoulder and grabbed at her shiny earring. (more…)

JAKARTA, July 23 (Xinhua) — Indonesia’s Komodo dragon theme park located in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province was nominated as a finalist in the contest to appoint New Seven Wonders of Nature, Detik.com news portal reported on Thursday.

Citing to a statement issued by Indonesian Culture and Tourism ministry, the prominent news portal reported that Komodo dragon theme park brushed aside more than 440 candidates from 220 countries to be nominated as a finalist in the contest. (more…)

Steady Start To 2009 Indonesia had a relatively strong start to 2009 according to tourist arrivals data. About 1

by Press Office

(Companiesandmarkets.com and OfficialWire)

LONDON, ENGLAND

Steady Start To 2009 Indonesia had a relatively strong start to 2009 according to tourist arrivals data. About 1.82mn tourists visited the archipelago over the January-April period, representing annual growth of 1.35%, according to figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (Badan Pusat Statistik, BPS). (more…)

Oyos Saroso H.N. , The Jakarta Post , Pulau Pahawang, Lampung

Standing on a pier on a sunny day in Pulau Pahawang village, a group of villagers was enthusiastically attending to a lesson in “magic” tricks for tourism.

The speaker was Citra Persada, a facilitator in a workshop on Conservation and Maritime Tour Development and lecturer at Lampung University’s technical school. The villagers were getting training in becoming tour guides, and one of the main attractions of the area is its clean environment. (more…)

JAKARTA, July 18 (Bernama) — The Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) Thaleb Rivai believes that Indonesian tourism would recover soon from Friday’s Jarkata hotel explosions, thanks to their past experience, the Antara news agency reported Saturday. (more…)