Tourism Indonesia

Malls Bring Christmas Joy to Town

2009-12-18T16:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas is around the corner and malls everywhere are getting into the holiday spirit. Check out some of the best that Jakarta has to offer.

Pluit Village
Pluit Village has a “Christmas Playground” theme. This mall has the only children’s carousel [for christmas] in town — it features a flying boat and a pool full of plastic balls to wade into — admission is Rp 10,000 ($1).

Grand IndonesiaGrand Indonesia has gone for a “Glitz and Glam” theme in their east lobby. They have a large Disney castle covered in twinkling blue lights.

Taman Anggrek
In our opinion, this mall topped the lot.
The main attractions include “Santa’s shoe house,” falling snow and an animated musical teddy bear Christmas scene with teddy bears playing on log swings, popping out of presents and hanging up candy canes.

Plaza Indonesia

The mall is well decorated, but there are no real attractions to visit at Plaza Indonesia

Plaza Senayan

Plaza Senayan has the most traditional Christmas decorations with its theme of a snowy Christmas.
There is a large tree decorated with blue and white twinkling lights.

Senayan City
There is a “Lego Christmas” theme at Senayan City this year. The main attraction is a full-sized Lego Christmas tree complete with Lego candles, candy canes, Christmas presents, snowmen and topped with a gold Lego star. At 7 meters high, it is the biggest Lego Christmas tree in Asia and contains approximately 800,000 bricks. It took three months to build.

Pacific Place
It might not be the most traditional Christmas display, but Pacific Place’s SpongeBob Christmas theme is definitely original. There are neon Christmas sharks, and dolphins hanging from the ceiling of a fanciful display taken from the popular kid’s program.

Exploring the colorful natural-dyed fabrics of Bali, Nusa Tenggara

2009-12-16T23:59:00.000-08:00

Bali and Nusa Tenggara boast abundant creations of woven cloths dyed using plant extracts that not only produce beautiful long-lasting colors, but also outshine those created with chemical colorants.

The myriads of ethnic fabrics from villages across Bali, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara took the center stage at the exhibition titled “Bali Nusra Tangi 2009” in Kuta, Bali, last week.

Although some of the fabrics were made between 75 to 100 years ago, they still exuded intense colors, such as the 100-year-old tais weto fabric from Manlea village in Belu regency, East Nusa Tenggara.

The hand-woven cloth, dyed using extracts of mengkudu (a small tree found in forests), still dazzles, with a deep red color dominating its stripe motif.

The Biboki sarong, made 75 years ago, shows a combination of deep indigo and red in stripe motif.
Women in the country’s eastern province usually wear these types of fabrics for major traditional ceremonies, including weddings and funerals.

Fabrics from East Nusa Tenggara have various motifs reflecting different meanings and levels in the society.

“Kings and queens usually wear the hinggi kombu. Hinggi means fabric, and kombu means mengkudu,” said Ignasio Hapukaranjawa, a native of Nusa Tenggara.

Full article: The Jakarta Post

Soekarno Hatta is World's Second Most On-time Airport, Forbes

2009-12-16T01:28:00.000-08:00

As airlines continue to charge customers more while offering fewer services, at least the world's busiest airports are showing signs of improved performance. That's according to data published by FlightStats, an Oregon-based company that tracks historical and real-time flight information for airports and airlines around the world.

For the second year in a row, Japan's Haneda Airport (HND) tops the list of the world's most on-time airports. (An "on-time" flight is defined by the industry as being less than 15 minutes late.)

This year's most improved airport on the top ten, Soekarno-Hatta, jumped from last year's sixth slot thanks to impressive 84.2% on-time arrivals and 89.2% on-time departures. An estimated 32 million passengers passed through this busy hub in 2008, but airport officials want more. Construction on a third terminal is underway. Once completed, CGK will be able to double its passenger traffic.

Batam Expects To Draw 500,000 Malaysian Tourists Next Year

2009-12-15T05:22:00.000-08:00

Batam island expects to attract at least 500,000 tourists from Malaysia during Visit Batam Year 2010.

Its director of the tourism and culture department, Guntur Sakti, said the target was achievable because in recent years Malaysian tourists were the third highest to visit Batam, about 45 minutes by ferry from Johor Baharu.

"This year, up to October, Batam recorded more than 900,000 tourists out of a target of one million domestic and foreign tourists, of which 30 per cent were from Malaysia," he told Bernama.

The Nusantara Parade, which portrays the culture of all the 33 provinces of Indonesia, is expected to be a major tourist draw next year.

Also on the 2010 calendar is the "Kenduri Seni Melayu" (Feast of Malay Culture) which will feature various aspects of Malay culture, such as dances and songs from several provinces, including Riau, Lampung, Jambi, Aceh, western Sumatra and also neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore.

Guntur said Batam was ready to accommodate the anticipated tourists with more than 6,000 hotel rooms as well as homestays.

A group of local and foreign journalists, who were brought from Jakarta recently, were able to see the site of the Vietnamese refugee camp in Pulau Galang which housed up to 15,000 refugees between 1979 and 1996, and is now a tourist attraction.

Batam, which is better known as an integrated industrial site in Indonesia, is now popularly known as Barelang -- an acronym of the names of the three islands of Batam, Rempang and Galang out of the seven islands connected by six bridges.

The Warung, Bali

2009-12-13T04:11:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine said something really interesting the other day. He asked me if I’d ever noticed that while Bali has several stunningly beautiful restaurants, with gorgeous views and great design, and some great local restaurants, that serve both fantastic Balinese and other regional Indonesian dishes, it was pretty much impossible to find a restaurant that combines all of the above. The more I thought about it, I realized he was right. It was hard to name a restaurant that could offer breathtaking vistas, a cool vibe with great style and design, and really sumptuous, authentic local food. The combination was only logical. Why wouldn’t some smart restaurateur design a restaurant like this? Why shouldn’t there be a place as cool as Ku De Ta, or as pretty as Mozaic, that offered really delicious Balinese fare? After all, when I travel somewhere, I want to explore and learn about the local cuisine. I want to tuck into really well-prepapred authentic (and not touristy) dishes. But I’m also a slave to style and I’d like to not have to always be eating such food in less than chic environments.

Enter The Warung at the new Alila Villas Uluwatu resort. This swanky casual restaurant at this glamourous new property, perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean on Bali’s southern coastline, delivers the total package. And I know I was just recently waxing lyrical about another Alila property, but I have good reason. These guys, at least at the Alila Villas level, just seem to be able to get things right. And that’s worth shouting out about. The Uluwatu resort, an ultra-luxe (and yet also sustainable) development designed by Singapore starchitects Wong Mun Summ and Richard Hassel of WoHA, is strikingly chic. All clean lines, bright colors, and natural materials, Alila Villas Uluwatu is the kind of place you’d expect to see movie stars and billionaires sunning, sipping cocktails and trading secrets.

The Warung
Alila Villas Uluwatu
Jl Belimbing Sari
Banjar Tambiyak, Desa Pecatu 80364
Bali, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 848 2166

Full article by Chubby Hubby

A Night of Dayak Culture

2009-12-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

On Sunday and Monday, the Dayak Youth Community will hold a gala event, “A Night With the Dayak,” at the auditorium of the Goethe Institute, Jakarta. “Natas Banyang,” a ritual ceremony of ancient Dayak traditions, will mark the opening night, followed by a toast of “tuak” (rice wine) among the guests and participants.

The Dayak Children’s Choir, whose members range in age from 6 to 18, will sing traditional songs and there will also be a dance performance that represents the life cycle of the Dayak people.

“For the people of the Dayak, land cultivation is the core of their livelihood,” Gregorio said. “That’s why each stage [of cultivation] is marked with a dance celebration.”

The Mandau dance, which symbolizes the clearing of the land, will be performed by a group of women; the Bahuma dance describes the happiness and enthusiasm of the men in plowing the fields; the Menugal dance describes the joy of the women when planting the seeds; the Hudoq is a mask dance, performed after planting the seeds, which is aimed at driving away bad spirits that may cause a bad crop.

“The faces of the masks represent the pests that may attack the crops, such as rats and locusts,” Gregorio said.

Traditionally, the dance was performed to please the goddess of rice paddies, Hunai Parai Avaang, so she would bless the upcoming harvest.

In addition to the dance performances, the event will also feature a live demonstration of hand-tapping tattooing by Aman Durga Sipatiti. Hand-tapping is a traditional method of tattooing in Indonesian, Polynesian and Maori cultures, and uses a thin wooden stick fitted with a needle at one end, covered in ink, which is tapped with another stick into the dermis layer of the skin.

The patterns of Dayak tattoos include the Bunga Terung (rosette), which signifies bravery, the Garing tree (the mythical tree of life) and a Hornbill bird for protection against evil spirits.

“It’s quite an intense, spiritual and philosophical experience,” Durga said.

Hand-tapped tattoos take three times as long as a modern tattoo, during which both the tattoo artist and the client must maintain full concentration and a soul connection, according to Dayak lore.

The event will also feature a photo essay by Rani Djandam, a Dayak anthropologist, which describes the “Ngamuan Gunung Pirak,” the wedding ceremony of the Dayak Ma’anyan tribe of Central Kalimantan. There will also be an exhibition of traditional beading and a demonstration of the intricate hand-weaving techniques of the Dayak Sintang tribe.

Tenun Sintang — the hand-woven textile of the Dayak Sintang — was discovered by Pastor Maessen, a Dutch missionary, in 1968.

“He visited a house and the wife cleaned a chair for him with a piece of old cloth, covered in vibrant colors and patterns,” Gregorio said. The cloth was a very old hand-woven piece of material, owned by the woman’s grandparents. The pastor helped the local people to revive the dying trade. Today, Tenun Sintang is one of the most coveted textiles in the country.

“Pastor Maessen himself will also attend this event,” Gregorio said.

“Our organization aims to be a cultural ambassador for the Dayak people,” he added. “Therefore, we hope that with this event, more people will be able to appreciate Dayak culture and traditions and the younger generations of Dayaks will again be proud of their roots.”

‘A Night With the Dayak’
Goethe Institute
Jl. Sam Ratulangi, No. 9 - 15
Menteng, Central Jakarta
For more information on the programs, visit www.dayakyouthcommunity.org

Yogyakarta Ready to Show Off Its Art Biennale

2009-12-09T16:33:00.000-08:00

Well known for its vibrant culture and creative art scene, Yogyakarta is a wellspring of talented artists and artistic inspiration.

Jogja Biennale, an art and culture festival organized every two years, aims to strengthen this reputation for the city, which is also known as Jogjakarta. The festival has become one of the city’s most eagerly anticipated events for both local and foreign tourists.

The 10th edition of the monthlong event begins on Thursday, under the name “Jogja Biennale X: Jogja Jamming, An Art Archive Movement.”

Wahyudin, a member of the festival’s curating team, explained the theme: “Just like music jamming, we want people from different kinds of backgrounds to enjoy art through this festival. We want people to see that everybody can enjoy art and everybody can be an artist.”

He added that the focus on an “art archive movement” was because “we don’t have documentation of many things from the past that shaped art in Indonesia and Yogyakarta today. We are asking people, especially artists, to be aware of the importance of the history of art.”

Ong Hari Wahyu, a member of the festival committee, said the first festival took place in 1988. But initially the focus was only on painters. In 1992, a diverse group of artists organized a rival festival, called “Binal” (“Naughty”), as a response to Jogja Biennale and to make the point that art involved more than just painting.

In 1997 in answer, Jogja Biennale diversified its focus to become a festival inclusive of all kinds of art. “We realized that art was not exclusively about paintings and painters,” Ong said.

This year the festival will include indoor exhibitions with works from 130 artists, street art created by at least 150 participating artists and groups, an art archive exhibition and public events such as discussions, lectures and workshops.

The festival will present some of today’s biggest names in art, as well as works by emerging artists. Entang Wiharso, a veteran artist who recently participated in the Prague Biennale, will exhibit his latest creations — huge aluminum statues — at Jogja National Museum during the festival.

“These figures look great — they’re up to five meters wide and three meters in height,” Wahyudin said.

People can also see Indonesian expressionist painter Putu Sutawijaya’s works at the festival. Famous for his depictions of people, this young painter is one of Indonesia’s most in-demand artists. In 2007, his painting “Looking for Wings” sold for Rp 1.3 billion ($138,000) — the highest price paid for the work of an Indonesian artist that year — at a Singapore art auction, Wahyudin said.

Samuel Indratma, from the festival’s curating team, said the main attraction for many visitors would be the unique and unusual artworks on display on the city’s streets.

He said artist Wilman Syahnur plans to take a fiber-glass figure of US President Barack Obama around the city on a becak (a traditional bicycle taxi) to meet the people of Yogyakarta.

“This is Wilman’s way of criticizing the first black US president for sending more troops to Iraq, despite receiving a Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year,” Samuel said.

Jakarta int`l festival to open Thursday

2009-12-09T05:47:00.000-08:00

The 11th Jakarta International Film Festival (Jiffest) is to be held at the Blitz Megaplex, Grand Indonesia, on December 4-14, 2009.

"The 11th Jiffest will be opened on Thursday of this week," the event`s media relations coordinator, Husna Fauzi, said here on Wednesday.

Husna explained this year`s event would include an Indonesian Feature Film Competition (IFFC) as one of its main programs. Any Indonesian movie released between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009, could take part in the competition to vie in two award categories.

"There are two award categories, namely Best Movie and Best Director," said Husna adding that Jiffest would also present a Madani Film Festival featuring Islamic-themed movies from around the world.

This year`s Jiffest would begin with the screening of an Indonesian movie titled "Sang Pemimpi" (The Dreamer). The film is a sequel to the successful movie made in 2008 titled "Laskar Pelangi" Rainbow Legion).

During the 10-day event, Husna added, Jiffest would present to the audience some 114 movies from 24 countries in the world.

As its closing event, Jiffest would play movies directed by 11 well-known directors such as Fatih Akin and Mira Nair`s film titled "New York, I Love You."

In addition, she said, the organizing committee had also arranged an exhibition featuring works from Switzerland`s graphic and visual designers seen on Hollywood movies such as "Alien", "The Matrix" and "The Lord of The Rings" trilogy.

KLM resumes service to Bali

2009-12-09T05:38:00.001-08:00

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines began operating a thrice-weekly service to Denpasar, on the Indonesian island of Bali, on 6 December. The flights have already proved to be very popular. "We have decided to raise the frequency to four weekly flights as of mid-January, said KLM president and CEO Peter Hartman.

Size Doesn’t Matter on Gili Nanggu

2009-12-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

Gili Nanggu, situated just off west Lombok, is a small island of 12.5 hectares. Yet the island feels a lot bigger than this, with its undisturbed corners of natural beauty and numerous swimming spots.

The underwater world is also stunning with lots of brightly colored fish swimming close to the beach in the warm tropical water.

Traveling to the island is relatively easy — it’s a 45-minute boat ride from Lembar Harbor in Lombok, or a 15-minute boat ride from Taun Harbor, also in Lombok.

A taxi ride into Lembar from Selaparang International Airport takes about 45 minutes to an hour, while from the airport to Taun takes about 90 minutes.

Boats can be chartered from either harbor at any time of the day. Local operators charge about Rp 150,000 ($16) for a boat from Lembar with a maximum capacity of six passengers. From Taun it is about Rp 25,000 cheaper.

“Visitors are mostly foreigners from Europe, usually couples — honeymooners — because of the serenity and peacefulness here,” said Suherlan, or Herlan, a staff member of Gili Nanggu Cottages and Bungalows. “Vendors, like jewelry sellers [often spotted on the other islands in the Gilis], are not allowed to enter the area.”

The island has 10 cottages with timber floors and seven bungalows, with prices ranging from Rp 250,000 to Rp 350,000 per night with breakfast included.

Although cheaper, the cottages trump the bungalows due to their beachfront location. The upstairs bedrooms have large windows that open out onto a view of the sea and the balmy breeze.

Inside each cottage is a bed with a mosquito net and a fan. Some cottages also have a sitting room.

The bungalows are set back from the beach, just a short walk along a track.

The simple hut-like structures sit on a raised platform and the room comes with air-conditioning and an attached bathroom.

The resort has a restaurant serving local and European cuisine. Grilled fish is also available as local fishermen bring their catch to the island.

One of the most intriguing things about the resort is the conservation program it runs for the endangered Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) — locally known as penyu sisak . The turtle is one of seven species of sea turtles found in the world. The name “hawksbill” refers to the turtle’s hooked beak.

The Gili Nanggu Sea Turtle Conservation Program has been functioning since 1995.

Adult sea turtles lay eggs once a year. If you are lucky enough to visit Gili Nanggu when the baby sea turtles are ready for release, you can take part in this natural conservation activity and help give the sea turtles a future.

“Fishermen around the area used to sell the turtles and the eggs to traditional markets in Lombok and Bali to be consumed or for religious purposes,” Herlan said.

Turtles are said to be used for offerings in Balinese ceremonies, but in fact this is rarely the case. People like to eat them, and most of the turtles that are sold illegally end up in the cooking pot.

“To stop the species from disappearing, we buy the eggs from the fishermen and hatch them here,” Herlan said.

The eggs are purchased for Rp 500 each from the fishermen, usually during the rainy season in February and March, Herlan said. For 45 days, the eggs are buried under the sand until they hatch. A year after, when they are strong enough to survive, the turtles are released into the ocean.

“Guests can participate in the conservation program by paying Rp 100,000 to release a turtle,” Herlan said. “It is a nonprofit program as the money goes to the cost of purchasing the eggs and breeding the turtles for a year.”

Turtles are released every month by visitors to the island, Herlan said.

Gili Nanggu makes a wonderful holiday spot at any time of the year, but it’s best to avoid Muslim or school holidays, when the island is more crowded than usual.

How to get there
Boats can be chartered for one-way trips to the island from Lembar for Rp 150,000 and from Tuan for Rp 125,000. Reservations are required.Peak season is from June to August.
Tel. 0370 623783 or 081 237972299
www.gilinanggu.com

Travel And Tourism In Indonesia - New Report Published

2009-12-07T05:37:00.000-08:00

The Travel and Tourism in Indonesia report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest market size data (2002-2007), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be they new legislative, technology or pricing issues.

Background information on disposable income, annual leave and holiday taking habits is also included. Forecasts to 2012 illustrate how the market is set to change.

Sector coverage: travel accommodation, transportation, car rental, retail travel and tourist attraction markets

Why buy this report?
* Get a detailed picture of the travel and tourism industry;
* Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;
* Understand the competitive environment, the market's major players and leading brands;
* Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.

Travel and Tourism in Indonesia: http://www.companiesandmarkets.com/r.ashx?id=2VH6168SC187917

Musi Festival looking to promote tourism

2009-12-05T04:05:00.001-08:00

PALEMBANG: A four-day festival is underway in South Sumatra to promote tourism and the local cultures of the province.

Musi Festival 2009 was officially opened Wednesday by the Tourism and Culture Ministry's tourism marketing director general, Sapta Wiranda. The event, which is taking place at the Benteng Kuto Besak castle, will end Dec. 6.

This fourth running of the festival features a dragon boat contest with international participants, a national culinary festival and an education development fair.

A Dream Venue For Javanese Weddings

2009-12-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

A wedding can be one of the most complicated events that you will ever have to organize. In Javanese tradition, the big day is a major cause of celebration for both extended families and their neighbors.

“Once in a lifetime” becomes a catchphrase for many future brides and bridegrooms, as they make meticulous arrangements for their wedding day. But the pressure for everything to be perfect can sometimes take away from the newlyweds’ enjoyment of the big day.

Roemah 7a is a wedding venue run by a young couple, Anthon Novianto and Dewi Syarah, who have anticipated this problem by providing a list of wedding organizers, photographers, caterers and decorators.

“Before, the bride- and the groom-to-be would come to us, looking lost about how they should organize their special day,” Dewi said. “Now, they can simply choose from our list of vendors.”

Located in a leafy residential area, Roemah 7a is designed like the home of a traditional Javanese noble family. A magnificent Joglo (traditional wooden Javanese house) stands by the terrace between a pair of stone gupala (mythical creatures that guard the entry of a house) on each side. A delman (traditional horse carriage) stands on the corner of the front lawn, accompanied by a pair of old cars, a three-wheeled Reliant Regal MK1 from 1953 and a Mazda R 360 from 1960.

The parking lot in front of the house can accommodate up to 40 cars. “For large weddings, we usually rent the vacant lot next door for the guests’ cars,” Dewi explained. In total, the venue can accommodate up to 600 people.

In the foyer stands a magnificent teak table topped with Italian marble, adorned with a fresh flower arrangement and old kerosene lamps.

The room also features a collection of old projectors for 8 millimeter, 16 millimeter and 35 millimeter films. “My dad used to play movies for my birthdays with these projectors when I was a little boy,” Anthon said.

On the right side of the foyer stand floor-to-ceiling cupboards featuring Anthon’s collections of Indonesian vintage comic books from the 1950s. Among his collections are “Si Buta dari Gua Hantu” (“The Blind Man from the Haunted Cave”), by Ganes T H, and “Jaka Sembung,” by Djair. The prize of his collection is the original manuscripts for a Medan comic book.

The dining room boasts of a long dining table made entirely of teak. An antique crystal chandelier casts a romantic yellowish light over the room. On a side table is a vintage Victrola phonograph from the 1920s, which Anthon said he “bought from an old man in Japan.”

One side of the wall features a brightly-colored 1950’s enamel signboard for Prijaji cigarettes, featuring a noble Javanese man smoking a cigarette, while the other side of the wall is decorated with dada peksi (long intricately-carved wooden beams often used for hanging crystal chandeliers).

“I salvaged them from ruined Joglo houses in Central Java,” Anthon said.

Wedding ceremonies usually take place in the spacious room at the back of the house. Adorned with an intricate teak panel from Demak, Central Java, and antique hand-crafted Javanese doors with a Loro Blonyo (a Javanese sculpture of a couple) standing in front of them, the room possesses a sacred and solemn ambience.

The homeowner’s collection of traditional weapons, such as kris, daggers and javelins from around the country, is also displayed in this room.

“In this room, the couples usually perform temu [a Javanese ceremony in which the bridegroom and his family meet with the bride and her family], ijab kabul [the marriage ceremony] and sungkeman [where the bride and the bridegroom ask both sets of parents for their blessings at the end of the wedding],” Dewi said.

On one of the walls is a wide teak carving depicting an episode in the Ramayana, an ancient Hindu epic.

Two bedrooms are also provided as dressing rooms for the bride and her bridesmaids. The larger one features Anthon’s collection of handmade Japanese dolls in glass boxes. The smaller one features an intricately hand-crafted daybed from Madura Island, East Java.

“The Chinese influence show in the dragon and phoenix-like patterns on the carvings,” Anthon said.

The room also boasts art deco furniture from the 1920s and jengki furniture from the 1950s.

Wedding receptions usually take place outdoors in the leafy backyard, which boasts bamboo shoots, a giant rambutan tree, frangipanis and a large traveller’s palm tree. A Joglo gazebo from Kudus, Central Java, functions as the center stage where the bride and groom are seated for the reception.

A tandem bicycle from the Netherlands and a pair of becaks (tricycle rickshaws) stand by lagoon pools, as if promising to take the newlyweds safely through their life journey together.

“The becaks are male and female,” Anthon said. Brought from Solo, Central Java, the steps of the becak wadon (female becak) is slightly lower than the becak lanang (male becak) to accommodate women wearing a traditional jarik (tight wraparound batik cloth).

“At Roemah 7a, we provide a unique ambience for your wedding,” Dewi said. “One that is homey and intimate, as well as rich in tradition and history.”

Roemah 7a
Jalan Lebak Bulus 1 no. 7A
Cilandak, South Jakarta
Tel. 021 751 2332

Ayana named Asia’s Leading Luxury Resort following rebranding

2009-12-04T06:04:00.000-08:00

AYANA Resort and Spa Bali has been awarded Asia’s Leading Luxury Resort at the World Travel Awards 2009, just months after rebranding under management of the world’s top hoteliers.

Formerly Ritz-Carlton Bali, AYANA rebranded on 1 April after a management change initiated by the owner, who’s invested millions of dollars to strengthen the property’s position as Southeast Asia’s premier destination resort. Recent enhancements include the new Rock Bar, located on natural rocks abutting the ocean; renovation of Padi restaurant and AYANA Ballroom; and appointment of William Gumport as Chef de Cuisine at Dava.

The 77-hectare property retained the vast majority of its 950 staff and selected West Paces Hotel Group led by Horst Schulze, former president and founder of Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, to provide management expertise. General Manager Charles de Foucault brings more than 30 years’ experience, including 17 with Ritz-Carlton hotels, while Food & Beverage EAM Marc Dobbels is a Michelin-star chef with extensive hotel management experience.

The property offers 78 villas and a 290-room hotel perched on cliffs along a 1.3 kilometer coastline. The island’s largest spa, Thermes Marins Bali, features the Spa on the Rocks treatment villas amidst the ocean, and one of the world’s largest Aquatonic Seawater Therapy Pools. There are six wedding venues including two glass chapels, 13 F&B outlets, and extensive recreational and conference facilities.

Tagged ‘the Oscars of the travel industry’ by the Wall Street Journal, the World Travel Award validates AYANA’s successful rebranding.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized as Asia’s best luxury resort, when you see the competition in today’s luxury market,” said Charles after receiving the award at a Gala Ceremony in London. “There’s no shortage of beautifully designed or luxuriously-appointed resorts, and the Rock Bar opening has put AYANA on the map for every visitor to Bali. But we go beyond the ‘hardware’ of our facilities, to welcome guests with the warm hospitality, rich culture and dedicated yet discreet service of our ‘software’, our people.”

The WTA accolade follows several other awards since AYANA’s rebranding. It was the only hotel in Indonesia ranked amongst Asia’s Top 15 Resorts - and the World’s Top 100 - in Travel + Leisure’s 2009 survey, was ranked Bali’s #1 resort by AB-Road Japan, and voted Asia’s #3 Spa Resort by SmartTravelAsia.

Jakarta City to unveil nominees of tourism award

2009-12-03T05:45:00.001-08:00

The Jakarta Culture and Tourism Agency will announce the candidates for the 11th Adikarya Wisata award on Monday.

Dubbed the most prestigious award given to enterprises that contribute to the city’s tourism industry, the prize is expected to improve the level of service in the sector.

“Adikarya Wisata motivates people working in the [tourism] industry to perform as the award gives them pride. Those who win the award must provide very good services,” head of the agency Arie Budiman said Thursday.

The award will be sought after by 758 enterprises from 18 categories, including hotels, restaurants, night clubs, tour and travel agencies, spas and airlines.

Arie said after announcing the nominees, a panel, in cooperation with SWA magazine, would conduct a customer satisfaction survey and quietly visit the candidates between January and July 2010.

The award winners will be announced on the commemoration of the city’s anniversary in July next year.

American Academic Bangs the Drum for Javanese Gamelan

2009-12-01T15:19:00.000-08:00

Sukoharjo, Central Java. An American academic expressed concern on Monday over younger Indonesians’ apparent lack of interest in studying traditional gamelan orchestral music, which she linked to the growing popularity of Western culture at the expense of Javanese culture.

“Every time I come to Central Java to watch the traditional art performances, like wayang kulit [shadow-puppet plays], I have found that the gamelan players are mostly above 40 years of age. Where are the children and young people?” said Margaret DuFon, a professor of Asian-American literature and Asian studies at California State University’s Chico campus.

DuFon, herself a gamelan player, said it was becoming increasingly difficult to find young people in Indonesia who listened to or played gamelan.

She said it was disconcerting that many young people seemed to prefer Western music as opposed to traditional forms of Indonesian music.

“Culture is closely related to lifestyle, and for me personally, American musical culture is agitating,” she said. “As a person who loves Javanese culture very much, I worry about the younger generations who have this identity crisis and culture shock.”

DuFon was an international guest at this weekend’s Gamelan Makers Festival in Polokarto, a village close to the border between Yogyakarta and East Java.

The professor, who is fluent in both Indonesian and Javanese, said she supported regional movements to promote local cultural roots. She also expressed hope that school curriculums and national examinations could be tailored to incorporate more traditional cultural aspects from each region, including the arts and languages.

“A language shows a nation,” she said. “I’m concerned to see many women prefer to use Indonesian with their children at home because they want their children to be able to communicate in school using Indonesian.”

Ecotourism: The Green Way

2009-12-01T01:14:00.000-08:00

Boasting vibrant culture, breathtaking mountains and hundreds of kilometers of pristine beaches and tropical forests, Bali remains one of Asia’s premiere tourist hot-spots. However, like many locations that have borne the brunt of fast-paced development of tourism and industrial infrastructure, the sheer number of visitors to Bali is increasingly placing the island’s environment and culture under pressure. Bali is currently facing numerous environmental issues such as pollution, loss of important natural systems, lack of water and electricity and inappropriate development that impacts on local communities.

Agung Wardene, the executive director of the Bali chapter of the environmental group WALHI, points to tourism as the main cause of the island’s environmental degradation.

“With more hotels being built every day the demand for water is growing. Water shortage is a huge problem. Most water in Bali is used up by hotels, creating problems between the tourism industry and farmers,” he says.

Bali’s economy relies on tourism, and the tourism industry in turn relies on the island’s natural assets as a draw card for visitors. How environmental and cultural degradation posed by tourism is managed or mismanaged is crucial to the future viability of Bali as a tourist destination.

Agung says that the current level of expansion within the tourism sector is not sustainable.

“Tourists come to Bali to enjoy the beaches and nature, building more luxury hotels and infrastructure will not help tourism in the long run because it will damage the environment,” he says. “The current tourism policy needs to be re-evaluated.”

Despite inadequate regulation enforcement and lack of incentives, many players in Bali’s tourism industry have been proactive in establishing sustainable tourism practices.

Linda vant Hoff, the co-proprietor of the Sarinbuana Eco Lodge and an avid environmentalist, says that the international market wants more responsible environmental management.

“If the government won't enforce [environmental management regulations], the industry just has to get on with it anyway... To see the future, look at the high occupancy, international standards and efficient operations in the hotels in Bali that have worked through an involved process to achieve Certification via Green Globe.”

Heeding the call, some hotel owners on the island have instituted ambitious environmental projects, from water treatment and conservation to organic farming of produce for their restaurants.

Numerous eco-lodges and eco-village stays have been mushrooming across the island, not only raising environmental awareness among visitors, but also incorporating the three major pillars of economy, community involvement and ecological conservation.

Sarinbuana Eco Lodge

Tel: +(62) 361 743 5198
Awards: Wild Asia’s “Best Eco Lodge in South East Asia” 2007-2008
Rates: Bungalows from Rp 1 million ++; budget rooms from Rp 100,000

Bali Mountain Retreat

Tel: 0828 360 2645
Rates: From Rp 150,000 – Rp 910,000

Uyah Amed Hotel

Tel: +62 363 23462
Rates: From US$36

Bali EcoAdventure & Resort

Tel: +62 361 901 874
Rate: From Rp 420,000

Bali Udayana Kingfisher Eco Lodge

Tel: +62 (0) 361 7474204
Rate: From US$60
Awards: Green Globe Eco Certificate since 2005

Puri Lumbung Cottages

Tel: +62 362 92810
Price: From US$72
Awards: Green Hotelier certified; Tri Hita Karana award

Agung Bali Nirwana

Tel: 081 2394 7308
Rate: From US$145

Alila Resorts

www.alilahotels.com
Price: Alila Ubud from US$224++; Alila Manggis from US$155++; Alila Uluwatu from US$580++
Awards: Alila Ubud and Alila Manggis have been certified by the Green Globe since 2007 and have won the Tri Hita Karena and the Wild Asia Responsible Tourism 2008 award.

Read more

Old town Kota to host music festival next week

2009-12-01T00:56:00.001-08:00

The Jakarta Old Town will host a music festival of traditional Portuguese-influenced gambang kromong combined with modern music next week.

The Jakarta Tourism agency will hold the Jakarta Music Festival on Dec. 5, targeting thousands of people for the one-day event to be held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Tourism agency deputy head Tinia Budiati said the festival would show the diversity of Jakarta's music.

"There will be 8 modern bands, 17 traditional bands and four djs," Tinia said.

There will also be a session for a tribute to the late Betawi comedian and singer Benyamin S., and street children will also perform in the event.

A performance from the band Naif will close the event.

Jakarta’s Old Town Pictured as Indonesia’s Hollywood

2009-11-30T16:01:00.000-08:00

If a novel plan pushes through, the famous Old Town in West Jakarta could find new life as Indonesia’s Hollywood, according to city officials.

Arie Budhiman, head of the city’s culture and tourism agency, said on Monday that it was time to elevate the Old Town’s role from its current status as tourism destination and venue for events.

“We want to turn the Old Town into the center of culture, especially in terms of cinematography. Old Town could be the Hollywood of Indonesia,” he said.

First, Arie said the government would provide a new campus in one of several Dutch-era buildings in the area for the privately owned Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ).

Chandrian Attahiyat, head of the agency’s Old Town technical unit, said that by 2012 IKJ undergraduate students would be able to use Old Town as their new campus.

“We want a vibrant Old Town,” he said. “It will have an influence on the area and create arts communities that could encourage creative industries in the district.”

Chandrian said that of the 284 historic buildings in Old Town, 23 belonged to the State Enterprises Ministry, six were owned by the city administration and the rest belonged to individuals or private companies.

He said the city administration and the State Enterprises Ministry had formed a Heritage Building Revitalization Team to repair the 29 buildings they owned between them. In the first phase, the city would revitalize five buildings in 2010.

Chandrian said the city would choose one of the buildings owned by the ministry as the new IKJ campus. However, he said that the city was still discussing which building and the building usage procedure. Whether the city buys the building, borrows it from the central government or takes it in the form of a grant has to be decided also.

Arie added that IKJ planned to hold various events this month in the Old Town area, such as art exhibitions and filmmaking activities in the area. He believed that it would make the area more attractive.

Separately, Tinia Budiati the deputy head of the tourism agency, said in a press conference on Monday that the Old Town would host the “Enjoy Jakarta Music Festival” this Saturday in the Fatahillah Museum in the Old Town area. The event, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. will promote the Betawi (native Jakartan) culture and will include traditional dances as well as cultural performances married to modern music.

To encourage more visitors to the Old Town, admission to the event is free.

Indonesia’s National Museum Stands Test of Time

2009-11-29T15:34:00.000-08:00

There’s an old saying in Indonesia that a big nation is one that appreciates its history.

Through history, people can learn about their cultural origins and their national identity. However, museums — the traditional storehouses of items from the past that help people understand the developments that shaped their society — are not very popular here. Most Indonesians seem to prefer to spend their weekends and other leisure time at the many shopping malls that are scattered across Jakarta.

But that may have started to change in the last few years, with the revitalization of Jakarta’s Kota Tua, or Old Town, triggering a new enthusiasm among the younger crowd for attending museums.

“Going to museums is actually a fun experience. More young people in this city should visit our museums instead of just going to the malls,” said Sandra Fetriana, a 21-year-old university student visiting the National Museum with some friends.

The museum, located in Central Jakarta, is trying to build exactly that kind of culture. In its favor, the museum has perhaps the most strategic location of any such institution in the city. It’s located in the heart of Jakarta’s business district, only a 10-minute drive from the city’s main train station, Gambir, and just across the street from National Monument (Monas) park.

National Museum, or Museum Nasional in Indonesian, is also the oldest such institution in Indonesia, and has the country’s largest historical and cultural collection, with more than 141,000 items. Most were collected from Indonesia’s own backyard, but there are also some items that were purchased from other countries.

John Guy, a curator of Southeast Asian art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, was at the National Museum recently taking pictures of Hindu-Buddhist sculptures.

“Museum Nasional is one of the best museums in Southeast Asia,” he said. “This museum has so many hundred-year-old collections.”

Guy visits Indonesia once a year to conduct research and always makes a point of going to the National Museum.

His favorite item is the largest statue in the collection, the more than 4-meter-tall statue of Bhairawa, a manifestation of Buddha, believed to be from the 13th or 14th century.

“Isn’t that beautiful?” he said.

The museum is also sometimes known as Museum Gajah, or the Elephant Museum, because of the bronze elephant statue in front of the building. This statue was a gift from King Chulalongkom from Thailand in 1871.

Full article

Five-Star Tradition at Le Meridien Hotel in Jakarta

2009-11-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

Many hotel chains embrace a rather generic style — beige fittings, demure interiors and the same nonspecific paintings hanging on the walls.

But tucked high above the bustling Sudirman business district, Hotel Le Meridien Jakarta has been striving to move away from this international style and establish a distinct personality. The most obvious example of this is Meridien’s penthouse, which features a handcrafted house from Kudus, Central Java.

“The owner of the hotel [who asked not to be named] came across this old house during his travels to Kudus,” said Meidy Naomi Kesek, the hotel’s marketing communications officer.

Built entirely of teak, the house was in very good condition. The hotel owner dismantled the walls, pillars and roof and transported them back to his private residence in Jakarta.

For a couple of years, the Kudus house stayed on the family property.

“Until, one day, he decided that the public should also have access to this regal masterpiece of Javanese architecture,” Meidy said.

Thus, in 1995, the old house was again dismantled and moved into Le Meridien Jakarta, which was in the process of building a tower to provide more guest rooms. Piece by piece, the house was hoisted by cranes to the 21st floor and carefully reassembled.

To protect the old house from Jakarta’s polluted air, walls were built around it.

The penthouse was officially opened to the public in September 2002.

Today, the 240-square-meter penthouse comprises a sitting room, two bedrooms, a bar, a dining room, a work area and a lesehan (Javanese-style dining room with floor seating).

2009 JakJazz Festival Canceled

2009-11-27T16:17:00.001-08:00

This year’s edition of the popular Jakarta International Jazz Festival, known as JakJazz, which was scheduled to take place from Dec. 4 to 6 at Istora Senayan, has reportedly been canceled.

A representative from JakJazz Production told the Jakarta Globe about the cancellation on Thursday and said that an official statement would be released in the near future.

The Jakarta Globe attempted to contact JakJazz Production on Friday but was unable to reach a representative.

Wartajazz.com, an online magazine, first reported on the rumored cancellation on Wednesday. It was reported that this year’s JakJazz had been canceled because “the sponsors that were supposed to cover the festival expenses pulled out.”

The festival was also canceled in 1997 due to a lack of funding. JakJazz has been running for more than 20 years.

UNWTO Picks Bali As Green Tourism Model

2009-11-26T23:49:00.000-08:00

The United Nation’s tourism body has announced its decision to pick Bali to become one of its model for green tourism development. In a visit on Thursday (26/11) by Assistant to the Secretary General of United Nation World Tourism Organization Geoffrey Lipman, to the Bali regional office, the body said Bali had potentials for the green tourism concept.

The region has the natural awareness in keeping the harmony between human, nature, and faith which Lipman said “ Is still alive and strongly adhered until now.” But the challenge lies on how to apply the concept in facing the actual problems like energy availability and climate change.

Through the program UNWTO wil help Bali in solving its tourism problems and promote features of the province. The Green tourism Lipman said was part of the Green economy which should be applied in addressing the natural destruction.

Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika said the UN Body has the competence to improve Bali’s image in green tourism but the community have to return to their old concept of nature conservation and agriculture.

Tourism , I Made said, has lured many Balinese to leave agriculture and “The challenge is how to make Balinese farmers become wealthier and modern.”

The mother of all adventures: an emotional high on Mt Bromo

2009-11-25T05:41:00.000-08:00

After an unpromising 3am start, Jo Thompson is mesmerised by sunrise over Mount Bromo on the Indonesian island of Java.

After a monumental 14-hour drive we arrive at our next destination. The journey has been exhausting. It is a small bus and seats have been allocated to some passengers who are ill. I spend the journey on the floor of the bus, my temper fraying.

The hotel is a welcome sight. The temperature, however, is a shock. It is the first time I have felt cold since September and I remember how much I dislike it and why my heating bills have so many noughts on them. I have no warm clothes as I sent all mine home way back in Istanbul, so three of us head off to rent coats in the village. This is easier than I imagined. As we wander down a hill in the dark, a man on a motorbike pulls up and says: “You rent coat? I get.” He zooms off and reappears minutes later with three coats before zooming away again into the misty darkness.

Full article

Temulawak: Herbal remedy with a modern touch

2009-11-24T22:55:00.000-08:00

Just as ginseng is synonymous with Korea, temulawak or Java turmeric is a natural medical treasure native to Indonesia.

As part of Indonesia’s centuries-old traditional healing practices, temulawak has long been used as an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent in treating many ailments, including swelling, gastric and digestive problems, stiff muscles, coughs and runny nose.

“As far as we know, temulawak can only be found in Indonesia,” says Gunawan T., managing director of Helmigs Prima Sejahtera, a pharmaceutical and curcumin products manufacturer.

“There are some individuals in several countries, like Malaysia, who have done research on their own varieties of temulawak at Yonsei University in South Korea, but the results show these plants are nothing like temulawak.”

So even if the Java turmeric exists elsewhere, Gunawan says, “I can confidently say the best temulawak comes from Indonesia.”

Having the best variety is one thing, but Indonesia can also churn out the stuff by the truckload.
Central Java and East Java, for instance, are just two of several provinces that farm temulawak on a large scale.

East Java alone produces up to 9 million kilograms of ready-to-sell temulawak each year. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s hometown of Pacitan in the province is the country’s temulawak hub, recording harvests of 5 million kilograms of the tuber each year.

Gunawan’s company, Helmigs Prima Sejahtera, in the East Java capital Surabaya, is one of a handful of such manufacturers. Established in 1993, the company markets a range of products, including curcumin sugar-free effervescent, curcumin tablets, curcumin candy with Xylitol, and curcumin health drinks.

Factory manager Sutarko Tantra says the company processes several tons of temulawak extract into ready-to-consume products each day, combining traditional and modern methods.

The modern methods include the measurement of the properties contained in temulawak and the packaging of the curcumin extract into tablets and sachets using a machine imported from China.

“We follow high standards with high quality control because we don’t only market our products in Indonesia, but also overseas,” Sutarko says, adding the export markets include Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, Canada, the Netherlands, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.