In an end of the year Press Conference on 30 December, Minister for Culture and Tourism, Jero Wacik, said that with Indonesia’s economic growth of 6% and improved world perception of Indonesia as a tourist destination, his Ministry is optimistic that next year 2011, Indonesia can project to receive a total of 7.7 million international visitors, up 10% compared to 2010.
This year, total international arrivals to Indonesia reached 7,000,571 visitors, achieving the high target, up 8.5% compared to 2009 when 6,452,259 tourists visited the country.
These international tourists generated a total of US$ 7.6 billion, based on the calculation that on average each visitor spends US$ 1,085.70 per person per stay with an average length of stay of 8.04 days in Indonesia. In fact, the average spent of tourists for 2010 increased from US$ 995.93/per visitor per stay in 2009, while the average length of stay for 2010 has also increased 5% from the 7.69 days the previous year.
Total domestic tourists in 2010, meanwhile grew to 234 millionn departures spending a total of Rp. 138 trillion. The number of domestic tourists improved 3.05% compared to 2009 when a total of 229 million departures were made., while in 2011 it is projected that more than 237 million domestic travels will be made.
The increase in international and domestic tourists have improved hotels’ average occupancy rate, which until October registered 50.38%, up 1.99 point compared to the same period last year with 48.39%.
Meanwhile, the Ministry noted that in 2010 Tourism contribution to the National GDP was 4.8%, which is expected to increase to 4.95% in 2011. Meanwhile, 7.7 million people worked in the tourism sector, which is expected to increase to 8.1 million people in 2011.
Monday, January 3, 2011
INDONESIA’S ECONOMY ACCELERATING: AIRPORTS BURSTING AT THE SEAMS
Along with Indonesia’s economic growth which is expected to exceed 6% this year, the country’s air transportation has grown commensurately at a very rapid pace between 15%-20% per annum. If in 2004, Indonesian airlines handled 23.7 million passengers, this increased to 43.8 million in 2009, at an 82% average airline load factor. Among these, private airlines carried 80% share of total passengers. With increased competition, domestic airfares have also dropped, thereby opening access to wider segments of income groups, wrote Danang Parikesit, Chairman of Indonesia’s Transportation Society in Bisnis Indonesia.
As consequence of such rapid growth, airports have fast exceeded the capacity for which they were originally built. Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta international airport, which was constructed 20 years ago with its open green gardens and envisaged to handle 22 million passengers per year, must today handle no less than 40 million passengers. While the Juanda airport in Surabaya, originally built to handle 6 million passengers, already handles 11 million today. Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport which was built for 1.5 million passengers, today handles 9.5 million per year. The same situation is in Medan with its Polonia airport, which was built to cater to 0.9 million people, must now handle 4.9 million. The only international airport that is within its capacity is the Sultan Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar, which was built for 7 million passengers, but today receives 5 million per year, reports Bisnis Indonesia.
With Indonesia’s expected accelerated economic growth next year, it is obvious that these airports must be expanded very soon, other additional supporting airports built in the vicinity, or other solutions found.
Therefore, in Bali, a new terminal is being constructed with an investment of Rp. 1.9 trillion, which is expectd to be operational by March 2013, giving ample time before the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Coooperation) Summit in 2013. When completed, the airport will have a total capacity of handling 15 million passengers per year.
On 27 December, the Ministry of Transportation signed an MoU with the Miinistry of Culture and Tourism to build a 565 km. railway system around Bali to spread tourism more evenly throughout the island, work on which is to begin in January 2011.
Minister for Culture and Tourism, Jero Wacik, said that this year alone more than 2.3 million visitors or 30% of total tourist arrivals to Indonesia spent their holidays on Bali. While Bali Governor Mangku Pastika estimates that by 2015, Bali will receive 5 million tourists, so that infrastructure needed must be built urgently.
While in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city, the government plans to re-operate the old Juanda airport.
In Medan,North Sumatra, the new Kuala Namu international airport is in construction, since Polonia airport is anyhow already too close to the city. The government has also opened the tender for the construction of the 60 km toll road between Medan and the new Kuala Namu airport.
While, for the capital city Jakarta, one supporting airport to the Soekarno-Hatta international airport is the Halim Perdanakusumah airport, which is an Air Force base and is primarily used for VIP planes or at times serves as an emergency back-up airport. The national government is looking at the Pondok Cabe training airport to expand into a commercial airport, but the provncial government of Jakarta is reported to be against this plan.
Meanwhile, therefore, for Jakarta, in order to ease traffic congestion in the air as well as for better passengers handling on the ground, the government plans to review flight slots at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport. Golden time periods for airlines here are between 5.0 am to 9.0 am in the mornings and between 4.0 pm and 8.0 pm in the evenings. During these times the airport handles near to 60 flights an hour, reports Bisnis Indonesia. Therefore, the authorities plan to spread out arrival and departure times of planes. This measure, however, has the airlines very concerned , hoping that slots will be distributed fairly among all airlines.
Meantime, Jakarta’s airport at peak time today too often resembles a busy railway station which is jammed with people, and is far from looking like a distinguished nternational airport that a capital city deserves.
Earlier, detik.com reported that Vice President Boediono had held a coordinating meeting in October on national transportation. Among issued discussed was the need for improved management of airports and additional infrastructure urgently required to cater to the soaring number of passengers that airports must handle today. In this context it was decided that Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport will be added with two runways and one more terminal
To ensure the safety of air, land and sea transportation the Committee for Transport Safety (KNKT) will be directly accountable to the President and no longer directly to the Minister for Transportation.
Furthermore, Regulations will be drawn whereby airlines must use e-ticketing. Its implementation will be discussed with the airlines.
Additionally, it must be ensured that all airport runways, aprons and terminal are sterile from unauthorized personne and passengers’ waiting areas freed from touts, and unauthorized sales persons.
While in order to ensure air safety, the government will form a separate company in charge of air navigation so that this will no longer be the responsibility of the airport authority.
(Sources: Bisnis Indonesia, detik.com )
As consequence of such rapid growth, airports have fast exceeded the capacity for which they were originally built. Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta international airport, which was constructed 20 years ago with its open green gardens and envisaged to handle 22 million passengers per year, must today handle no less than 40 million passengers. While the Juanda airport in Surabaya, originally built to handle 6 million passengers, already handles 11 million today. Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport which was built for 1.5 million passengers, today handles 9.5 million per year. The same situation is in Medan with its Polonia airport, which was built to cater to 0.9 million people, must now handle 4.9 million. The only international airport that is within its capacity is the Sultan Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar, which was built for 7 million passengers, but today receives 5 million per year, reports Bisnis Indonesia.
With Indonesia’s expected accelerated economic growth next year, it is obvious that these airports must be expanded very soon, other additional supporting airports built in the vicinity, or other solutions found.
Therefore, in Bali, a new terminal is being constructed with an investment of Rp. 1.9 trillion, which is expectd to be operational by March 2013, giving ample time before the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Coooperation) Summit in 2013. When completed, the airport will have a total capacity of handling 15 million passengers per year.
On 27 December, the Ministry of Transportation signed an MoU with the Miinistry of Culture and Tourism to build a 565 km. railway system around Bali to spread tourism more evenly throughout the island, work on which is to begin in January 2011.
Minister for Culture and Tourism, Jero Wacik, said that this year alone more than 2.3 million visitors or 30% of total tourist arrivals to Indonesia spent their holidays on Bali. While Bali Governor Mangku Pastika estimates that by 2015, Bali will receive 5 million tourists, so that infrastructure needed must be built urgently.
While in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city, the government plans to re-operate the old Juanda airport.
In Medan,North Sumatra, the new Kuala Namu international airport is in construction, since Polonia airport is anyhow already too close to the city. The government has also opened the tender for the construction of the 60 km toll road between Medan and the new Kuala Namu airport.
While, for the capital city Jakarta, one supporting airport to the Soekarno-Hatta international airport is the Halim Perdanakusumah airport, which is an Air Force base and is primarily used for VIP planes or at times serves as an emergency back-up airport. The national government is looking at the Pondok Cabe training airport to expand into a commercial airport, but the provncial government of Jakarta is reported to be against this plan.
Meanwhile, therefore, for Jakarta, in order to ease traffic congestion in the air as well as for better passengers handling on the ground, the government plans to review flight slots at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport. Golden time periods for airlines here are between 5.0 am to 9.0 am in the mornings and between 4.0 pm and 8.0 pm in the evenings. During these times the airport handles near to 60 flights an hour, reports Bisnis Indonesia. Therefore, the authorities plan to spread out arrival and departure times of planes. This measure, however, has the airlines very concerned , hoping that slots will be distributed fairly among all airlines.
Meantime, Jakarta’s airport at peak time today too often resembles a busy railway station which is jammed with people, and is far from looking like a distinguished nternational airport that a capital city deserves.
Earlier, detik.com reported that Vice President Boediono had held a coordinating meeting in October on national transportation. Among issued discussed was the need for improved management of airports and additional infrastructure urgently required to cater to the soaring number of passengers that airports must handle today. In this context it was decided that Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport will be added with two runways and one more terminal
To ensure the safety of air, land and sea transportation the Committee for Transport Safety (KNKT) will be directly accountable to the President and no longer directly to the Minister for Transportation.
Furthermore, Regulations will be drawn whereby airlines must use e-ticketing. Its implementation will be discussed with the airlines.
Additionally, it must be ensured that all airport runways, aprons and terminal are sterile from unauthorized personne and passengers’ waiting areas freed from touts, and unauthorized sales persons.
While in order to ensure air safety, the government will form a separate company in charge of air navigation so that this will no longer be the responsibility of the airport authority.
(Sources: Bisnis Indonesia, detik.com )
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Back in 1931, The New York Times asked a bunch of luminaries to predict what the world would be like in 2011.
Here are a few of the highlights.
The sociologist William Ogburn was off in a few big ways: He predicted the end of poverty and said the U.S. population would be 160 million (it's nearly twice that). Nevertheless, a lot of what he wrote rings true today:
Labor displacement will proceed even to automatic factories. The magic of remote control will be commonplace. Humanity’s most versatile servant will be the electron tube.... the heterogeneity of material culture will mean specialists and languages that only specialists can understand. ...
Inevitable technological progress and abundant natural resources yield a higher standard of living. Poverty will be eliminated and hunger as a driving force of revolution will not be a danger. Inequality of income and problems of social justice will remain. ...
The role of government is bound to grow. Technicians and special interest groups will leave only a shell of democracy. The family cannot be destroyed but will be less stable in the early years of married life, divorce being greater than now. The lives of women will be more like those of men, spent more outside the home.
Scientist and inventor Michael Pupin predicted greater income equality:
The great inventions which laid the foundation of our modern industries and of the resulting industrial civilization were all born during the last eighty years ... This civilization is the greatest material achievement of applied science during this memorable period. Its power for creating wealth was never equaled in human history. But it lacks the wisdom of distributing equitably the wealth which it creates. One can safely prophesy that during the next eighty years this civilization will correct this deficiency by creating an industrial democracy which will guarantee to the worker an equitable share in the wealth produced by his work.
For several decades after Pupin made this call, income equality did increase. But the trend didn't hold: Since the 1970s, the gap between rich and poor has grown.
W.J. Mayo, of clinic fame, comes pretty close to the mark:
Contagious and infectious diseases have been largely overcome, and the average length of life of man has increased to fifty-eight years. ... The progress that is being made would suggest that within the measure of time for this forecast the average life time of civilized man would be raised to the biblical term of three-score and ten. ...
Although we may desire to believe only what we can see, our emotions will predominate when crises beyond human understanding confront us, and some form of religion will continue to sustain people in time of stress.
The sociologist William Ogburn was off in a few big ways: He predicted the end of poverty and said the U.S. population would be 160 million (it's nearly twice that). Nevertheless, a lot of what he wrote rings true today:
Labor displacement will proceed even to automatic factories. The magic of remote control will be commonplace. Humanity’s most versatile servant will be the electron tube.... the heterogeneity of material culture will mean specialists and languages that only specialists can understand. ...
Inevitable technological progress and abundant natural resources yield a higher standard of living. Poverty will be eliminated and hunger as a driving force of revolution will not be a danger. Inequality of income and problems of social justice will remain. ...
The role of government is bound to grow. Technicians and special interest groups will leave only a shell of democracy. The family cannot be destroyed but will be less stable in the early years of married life, divorce being greater than now. The lives of women will be more like those of men, spent more outside the home.
Scientist and inventor Michael Pupin predicted greater income equality:
The great inventions which laid the foundation of our modern industries and of the resulting industrial civilization were all born during the last eighty years ... This civilization is the greatest material achievement of applied science during this memorable period. Its power for creating wealth was never equaled in human history. But it lacks the wisdom of distributing equitably the wealth which it creates. One can safely prophesy that during the next eighty years this civilization will correct this deficiency by creating an industrial democracy which will guarantee to the worker an equitable share in the wealth produced by his work.
For several decades after Pupin made this call, income equality did increase. But the trend didn't hold: Since the 1970s, the gap between rich and poor has grown.
W.J. Mayo, of clinic fame, comes pretty close to the mark:
Contagious and infectious diseases have been largely overcome, and the average length of life of man has increased to fifty-eight years. ... The progress that is being made would suggest that within the measure of time for this forecast the average life time of civilized man would be raised to the biblical term of three-score and ten. ...
Although we may desire to believe only what we can see, our emotions will predominate when crises beyond human understanding confront us, and some form of religion will continue to sustain people in time of stress.
13 admitted to hospital due to fireworks in Bali
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 01/01/2011 6:45 PM | National
A | A | A |
The New Year’s Eve celebration took its toll in Bali with 13 people admitted to the Sanglah hospital for burns from a fireworks accident.
“The majority of patients had their eyes injured by tiny splinters from the fireworks. Others are worse, as they were closer to the blast,” said Kuning Atmaja, a standing physician at Sanglah hospital, as quoted by kompas.com.
Three of the 13 victims are currently in the intensive care unit.
A | A | A |
The New Year’s Eve celebration took its toll in Bali with 13 people admitted to the Sanglah hospital for burns from a fireworks accident.
“The majority of patients had their eyes injured by tiny splinters from the fireworks. Others are worse, as they were closer to the blast,” said Kuning Atmaja, a standing physician at Sanglah hospital, as quoted by kompas.com.
Three of the 13 victims are currently in the intensive care unit.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Bali kids need hearing aids
December 28, 2010
By: Rachel Maclean
Bali Hearing Aids
Cochrane’s Destination Hearing is hoping residents will hear its cry for help and donate their unwanted hearing aids — even if broken.
The business is accepting donations and equipment until the third week of January when part-owner Richard Zeeman will travel to Bali to deliver them.
He will also be on hand in Bali to teach how to repair the hearing aids.
He had first heard during a lunch about the project to help kids in Bali with hearing loss.
“This is really out of the blue,” said Zeeman.
“I have never been to Indonesia.”
He said one of the best parts is being able to teach locals how to repair the hearing aids themselves.
Zeeman said because of the humidity in the environment there are a lot of repair issues. For more, visit Destination Hearing located at 214 Grande Blvd. or call 403-851-1116.
By: Rachel Maclean
Bali Hearing Aids
Cochrane’s Destination Hearing is hoping residents will hear its cry for help and donate their unwanted hearing aids — even if broken.
The business is accepting donations and equipment until the third week of January when part-owner Richard Zeeman will travel to Bali to deliver them.
He will also be on hand in Bali to teach how to repair the hearing aids.
He had first heard during a lunch about the project to help kids in Bali with hearing loss.
“This is really out of the blue,” said Zeeman.
“I have never been to Indonesia.”
He said one of the best parts is being able to teach locals how to repair the hearing aids themselves.
Zeeman said because of the humidity in the environment there are a lot of repair issues. For more, visit Destination Hearing located at 214 Grande Blvd. or call 403-851-1116.
Asian Development Tour dates released incluidng Bali
The Asian Tour has announced a provisional schedule of five tournaments for its 2011 Asian Development Tour.
After the successful launch of Asia's secondary circuit this year which rewarded the top three players with Asian Tour cards, the Asian Development Tour will maintain a minimum five tournaments in 2011, with several other events in the pipeline.
The inaugural US$75,000 Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters will kick off the new season from February 3-6, followed by another new tournament, the US$70,000 Clearwater Classic in Perak, Malaysia from April 28-May 1.
Chinese Taipei will also launch a new event, the US$130,000 Transcend Championship while the Ballantine's Taiwan Championship and Bali Open in Indonesia will return next year.
Discussions are on-going with other event promoters and sponsors for events to be added onto the Schedule in the coming weeks.
In 2010, Malaysia's S. Siva Chandhran topped the Order of Merit and earned his Asian Tour card with second-ranked Hsu Chia-jen and another Malaysian Akhmal Tarmizee, who finished third on the rankings.
Designed along the same structure as the Nationwide Tour in the United States and European Challenge Tour, the Asian Development Tour is proving to be a good launch pad for aspiring stars to the Asian Tour and the exciting world of international golf.
Through the Asian Tour Qualifying School which will take place in Hua Hin, Thailand in January, players will earn the opportunity to play and qualify for the Asian Development Tour.
The leading three players on the Asian Development Tour in 2011 will earn coveted Asian Tour cards for the following season, ensuring a proper career pathway for themselves.
The Asian Tour recently announced a provisional 25-event Schedule for 2011 on its main Tour.
Provisional Asian Development Tour Schedule 2011
Feb 3-6: Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters, Kurmitola Golf Club, Dhaka, US$75,000.
Apr 28-May 1: Clearwater Classic, Clearwater Sanctuary Golf Resort, Perak, Malaysia, US$70,000.
May 25-28: Transcend Championship, Course TBA, US$130,000.
Nov 3-6: Bali Open, New Kuta Golf Resort, Bali, US$60,000.
Dates TBA: Ballantine's Taiwan Championship, North Bay Golf and Country Club, Taipei, US$90,000
After the successful launch of Asia's secondary circuit this year which rewarded the top three players with Asian Tour cards, the Asian Development Tour will maintain a minimum five tournaments in 2011, with several other events in the pipeline.
The inaugural US$75,000 Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters will kick off the new season from February 3-6, followed by another new tournament, the US$70,000 Clearwater Classic in Perak, Malaysia from April 28-May 1.
Chinese Taipei will also launch a new event, the US$130,000 Transcend Championship while the Ballantine's Taiwan Championship and Bali Open in Indonesia will return next year.
Discussions are on-going with other event promoters and sponsors for events to be added onto the Schedule in the coming weeks.
In 2010, Malaysia's S. Siva Chandhran topped the Order of Merit and earned his Asian Tour card with second-ranked Hsu Chia-jen and another Malaysian Akhmal Tarmizee, who finished third on the rankings.
Designed along the same structure as the Nationwide Tour in the United States and European Challenge Tour, the Asian Development Tour is proving to be a good launch pad for aspiring stars to the Asian Tour and the exciting world of international golf.
Through the Asian Tour Qualifying School which will take place in Hua Hin, Thailand in January, players will earn the opportunity to play and qualify for the Asian Development Tour.
The leading three players on the Asian Development Tour in 2011 will earn coveted Asian Tour cards for the following season, ensuring a proper career pathway for themselves.
The Asian Tour recently announced a provisional 25-event Schedule for 2011 on its main Tour.
Provisional Asian Development Tour Schedule 2011
Feb 3-6: Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters, Kurmitola Golf Club, Dhaka, US$75,000.
Apr 28-May 1: Clearwater Classic, Clearwater Sanctuary Golf Resort, Perak, Malaysia, US$70,000.
May 25-28: Transcend Championship, Course TBA, US$130,000.
Nov 3-6: Bali Open, New Kuta Golf Resort, Bali, US$60,000.
Dates TBA: Ballantine's Taiwan Championship, North Bay Golf and Country Club, Taipei, US$90,000
Sam Cooper and Lily Allen Get Engaged in Bali
Happy reports show that the well-known singer Lily Allen is to marry her boyfriend of 18 months. Lily Allen says that, without a doubt in her mind, Sam Cooper is the love of her life.
While other people were busy watching TV and spending time with family over the Christmas Holiday, Lily Allen was busy getting engaged. The singer instantly accepted the proposal by Cooper without a second thought about it.
Sam Cooper reportedly chose to ask her to marry him on the balcony of their £800-a-night hotel suite in Bali at sunset on December 25. One source went on to say that Lily had no idea at all that Sam was going to propose to her. However, once the question was asked, she did not have to think about it, she knew right away. Lily is absolutely beaming and emotional at the same time.
This happily engaged couple were reported to have celebrated their engagement in the hotel’s bar. They were drinking champagne and cocktails with other guests. One witness said that the two could not stop smiling. It could not have been more romantic. The resort is just so peaceful and picturesque that it was the perfect place to propose.
Allen, age 25, and Cooper, age 32, started dating back in July of 2009. By August of 2010, they announced that they were expecting their first child together. Allen suffered a miscarriage in November. Lily has suffered a previous miscarriage while in a relationship with Chemical Brothers’ Ed Simons in January of 2008.
Of course, these two miscarriages are not going to keep Lily down. In fact, she confirmed that she and Cooper were going to be trying again in 2011.
While other people were busy watching TV and spending time with family over the Christmas Holiday, Lily Allen was busy getting engaged. The singer instantly accepted the proposal by Cooper without a second thought about it.
Sam Cooper reportedly chose to ask her to marry him on the balcony of their £800-a-night hotel suite in Bali at sunset on December 25. One source went on to say that Lily had no idea at all that Sam was going to propose to her. However, once the question was asked, she did not have to think about it, she knew right away. Lily is absolutely beaming and emotional at the same time.
This happily engaged couple were reported to have celebrated their engagement in the hotel’s bar. They were drinking champagne and cocktails with other guests. One witness said that the two could not stop smiling. It could not have been more romantic. The resort is just so peaceful and picturesque that it was the perfect place to propose.
Allen, age 25, and Cooper, age 32, started dating back in July of 2009. By August of 2010, they announced that they were expecting their first child together. Allen suffered a miscarriage in November. Lily has suffered a previous miscarriage while in a relationship with Chemical Brothers’ Ed Simons in January of 2008.
Of course, these two miscarriages are not going to keep Lily down. In fact, she confirmed that she and Cooper were going to be trying again in 2011.
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