BALI UPDATE #340 - 24 March 2003

BIWA Bazaar Attracts 3,000 Visitors

Annual Charity Event Among the Best Ever in Event's History.

Bali International Women's Association hosted their 9^th annual BIWA Bazaar at the Bali International Convention Center (BICC) on Sunday, March 9, 2003.

Tickets sales broke all previous attendance records with over 2500 tickets sold and nearly 3000 people attending the event. Over Rp. 250 million (approximately US$ 28.000) was raised for charity during the course of the full-day bazaar. Funds raised at this year's event were earmarked for AIDS victims, HIV prevention, and helping the underprivileged children of Bali.

The bazaar featured booths sponsored by local merchants, musical entertainment, contests, refreshments and lucky draws. With information on AIDS/HIV prevention was distributed via a booth staffed by Dr. Inne's Mobile Clinic for Women's Reproductive Health, who gave out brochures, pamphlets and flyers on STD/HIV/AIDS awareness.

BIWA, the organizer of the event, has over 180 members comprised of Indonesian and expatriate women in Bali, who work in conjunction with various foundations to raise funds for local charities.

Over 100 booths filled the BICC, with representatives from the local handicraft, hospitality, tourism, fashion, medical, agricultural industries as well as booths staffed by BIWA members filling the hall. An hourly raffle of prizes stimulated the sale of 2,500 raffle tickers for some 250 attractive prizes donated by local and regional companies.

Children's contests and an exhibition of paintings by eight international women artists living in Bali, marking International Woman's Day on March 8th, were also part of the BIWA Bazaar.

More information: BIWA Website

Taking a Closer Look at the Domestic Market

Promotion Board Undertakes Research on Local Travel Market.

The Indonesian Culture and Tourism Promotion Board (BPBudpar) has committed Rp. 250 million (approximately US$ 28,000) to interview and survey domestic tourists visiting 20 different tourist attractions across the nation.

The survey is being conducted by the Government in order to remedy the paucity of information on the holiday habits of domestic tourists. It has been designed to provide insights on the total number of domestic travelers, their spending habits, and to assess the specific needs of this market.

For purposes of the survey, a domestic tourist is defined as anyone visiting a tourist attraction, utilizing accommodation, and traveling more than 100 kilometers from home without leaving Indonesian territory.

In the past the domestic market's economic significance has been discounted, assuming the sector to be financially limited. Developments following on from the economic and political dislocations of the past few years have demonstrated that the Indonesian domestic market is sizeable with the capability of becoming the major source market for certain domestic tourism destination.

Bali Bombing Trials

Press Credential Now Being Issued to International Media.

The trials of the suspects charged with involvement in the October 12^th bombing will commence in Bali's capital city of Denpasar in late April 2003.

As of March 19, some 35 members of the mass media have applied for accreditation issued by the provincial police of Bali. Among those applying include NHK – Japan, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and various news organizations from Australia and Holland.

According to Bali police authorities, 200 press ID cards have been prepared for various media wishing to cover the legal proceedings. Currently, print media are being limited to two ID's per publication with a maximum 3 ID's reserved for each television news crew.

The back-to-back trials will be held at Jakarta main courthouse in downtown Denpasar and at the nearby Narigraha building that has undergone extensive modifications to accommodate the trials.

Bali Bombing Press Center

Radisson Hotels and Bali Discovery Tours have established a press center at the Radisson Bali Hotel, the closest international standard hotel to the venue for the trials, to facilitate the national and international press covering the trials.

More information: Bali Bombing Trials - Press Support Center

Bali Protests Against Turtle Trade

Profauna Indonesia Tries to Raise Awareness of Growing Threat to Turtle Species.

An Indonesian-based non-governmental organization Profauna Indonesia staged a peaceful protest in Bali during the third week of March 2003, calling for an end to the illegal trade in turtles in Bali and at least 9 other locations in Indonesia.

While issuing a report on detailing the extent of the current illegal trade in turtle meat and by-products, members of Profauna positioned a gigantic inflated turtle on Kuta's main seaside boulevard, opposite the Hard Rock Hotel.

The Slaughter Continues

Despite laws outlawing the turtle trade and recent arrests of turtle traders, turtles are still harvested from Indonesia's seas and landed in Bali where they are slaughtered. Majestic turtles, sometime more than 100 years of age, are slaughtered while still alive and there meat sold in local markets. The shells of the animals are sold for as much as $75 a kilogram to be turned into handicraft products.

Religious Arguments Debunked

Arguments by some turtle farmers that the use of turtle meat is mandated by local religious practice has been rejected by one of Bali's leading religious figures, Ida Pedanda Gede Ngurah Kaleran. According to Kaleran, a respected Hindu holy man, there is no stipulation in the ancient Hindu-Bali literature requiring the use of turtle meat in religious ritual practice.

More information: Profauna Information on the Turtle Slaughter

Distant Thunder of War

Airline Services to Bali Affected by War in Iraq.

Garuda Indonesia

While Garuda has yet to announce any flight curtailments, the airline commencing on Thursday, March 20^th, began to reroute their flights to Europe over a more northerly route, avoiding over-flying the Middle East region. The senior management of the airline is also said to be considering the imposition of a special 10% fuel surcharge to cover higher fuel costs and extended flight times occasioned by the war in Iraq.

Garuda's regular schedule of flights to Saudi Arabia continue to operate as scheduled, but are under continual review and may be cancelled if the airline considered them a safety risk.

A spokesman for the airline said flight suspensions by the Airline remain an option as issues of safety risks, operational cost increases imposed by the war, and potential drops in passenger numbers are considered.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has formally announced that in anticipation of softening passenger demand they will be reducing flight frequencies from late March.

Some 65 flights to the U.S.A. and Europe have reportedly already been temporarily axed by SIA, with suspensions of some of the airline's Asian routes also expected.

Cathay Pacific

The Hong Kong based air carrier Cathay Pacific (CX) continues to operate its 20 weekly flights to the Gulf while warning these services are under continual review.

CX's European services from Hong Kong are now all routed over China and Russia, avoid air space over the area affected by hostilities in Iraq.

Mabua Express Extends Service Suspension

Bali to Lombok Ferry Service Cites Iraqi War as Cause for Delayed Resumption of Service.

The MV Mabua Express the 248-passenger express ferry between Bali's and Lombok ceased operations on January 7, 2003, ostensibly to undergo a regular docking of the ship. Later, due to continuing poor passenger numbers following the October 12^th bombing of a Bali nightspot, the owners, P.T. Mabua Intan Express, decided to suspend ferry services until April 4, 2003, in order to avoid incurring undue financial losses while waiting for business to improve.

Ferry Service Suspension Extended until June 01, 2003

With the outbreak of hostilities in Iraq, Mabua have formally announced that ferry service will continue to be suspended until June 01, 2003.

Communication across the Lombok Straits will still be possible during the extended suspension of service by the Mabua Express with fast ferry services available from Bounty Cruises, and on an almost hourly basis on public car ferries sailing from Bali's east coast port at Padang Bai.

Amway Picks Bali Again

Network 21 Convention at Sheraton Nusa Indah.

Amway one of the world's largest direct-selling organizations is returning to Bali as the venue for their Network 21 Annual Convention to be held at the Sheraton Nusa Indah Resort, April 3-6, 2003.

1,500 Amway representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, India and the Philippine will participate in conference sessions and themed dinners at the Bali International Convention Centre and the Sheraton Nusa Indah Resort.

This is the second time the Amway's Network 21 have chosen Bali and the Sheraton for their annual meeting. The first Bali conference was held at the resort in the year 2000.

Continental Shifts

New Flight Timings Announced for Bali's Only U.S. Flag Carrier.

Continental Airline have announced that effective April 10, 2003, their twice-weekly flights to Bali will operate on a new time schedule.

Thursday and Sunday Flights

Continental's CO 900 will depart Guam every Thursday and Monday at 1800 hours local time touching down in Bali at 2120 hours.

The return northbound flight CO 901 leaves Bali at 2200 hours arriving in Guam at 0525 hours the following morning.

The Airline operates B737-800 equipment on their Bali service.

Down From 5 Flights Each Week

Prior to the October 12^th bombing attack on a Kuta nightspot Continental Airlines operated five flights every week to Bali from Guam with connecting services to Japan and across the Pacific to the U.S.A..

Bali Manager for Airport Service for Continental Airlines, Eric Kaler, said that the airline is doing everything possible to help stimulate passenger traffic to Bali, hoping to add additional flight frequencies when passenger numbers increase.

Airbus Salutes Garuda

Airbus Manufacturer Cites Performance Excellence by Indonesia's National Carrier.

Garuda Indonesia has been cited by Airbus Industrie for the high standard of its operational efficiency in their utilization of A-330 aircraft.

An "Operational Reliability Award" was presented to Garuda on Monday, March 17, 2003, in Jakarta. "This award recognizes the outstanding in-service operational reliability of Garuda Indonesia's A330 fleet, which achieved an impressive 99.02 per cent level in 2002," said John Grother, Airbus Vice-President, A330/A340 Programs, at the ceremony to mark the achievement.

Airbus' involvement with Indonesia dates back to February 1979, when Garuda Indonesia placed an order for nine A300s, the world's first wide body twin-engine airliner. As part of Airbus' philosophy of working closely with its customers on the refinement and development of its products, Garuda was one of the major influences behind the development of the "forward-facing" two man cockpit. With the delivery of its first A300-B4 in 1982, Garuda subsequently became the first airline in the world to operate a two man crew wide body aircraft.

Air Paradise Update

Air Paradise Adding Planes and Routes Following Enthusiastic Acceptance by Marketplace.

Air Paradise International (API) will be offering daily service between Bali and Jakarta commencing in June 2003. During the same period, API plans to introduce additional new services between Bali and Sydney, and Bali and Seoul, Korea.

The Bali-owned airline that commenced operation in February 2003 reports that the public response to their new air services to Perth and Melbourne has been very strong, prompting the decision to go ahead with plans for both fleet and route expansion. Additional aircraft being introduced to their fleet, like API's current aircraft, are leased former members of the Singapore Airline's armada maintained under an agreement with Singapore Airlines Engineering.

Recruitment Drive Underway

API has begun a nationwide recruitment campaign for extra staff to complement its expanded operations. According to Mr. Kadek Wiranatha, the owner of the airline, "We need additional cabin crew, engineers and pilots and will not only be looking locally but internationally for the most experienced and suitably qualified people we can find."

An Island Fit for a King

Swaziland's King Holidays in Bali.

Following formal meetings in Jakarta with Indonesia's President Megawati Soekarnoputri, the reigning monarch of the small southern African Kingdom of Swaziland, King Mswati III, and his entourage visited Bali for a brief holiday.

The King, one of the many fans of Bali from around the world, is a return visitor with the mid March 2003 visit to Bali representing the King's second holiday on the popular resort island.

Throughout their stay the group was based at a leading hotel in Bali's Nusa Dua area.

During King Mswati III's visit to Jakarta, he lent his Country's support to Indonesia's bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nation's Security Council which, if successful, Indonesia would start to occupy in 2006.

King Mswati III assumed power in 1986 at the age of 18 and is absolute rule of his nation of some 1 million people.