I never actually visited Bali before the fateful attacks of 2002, but if I am to believe what I hear it was a thriving mecca overcrowded with tourists from all over the world.  I always imagined this to be the case, with the current tourist climate being fairly quiet and scarce in comparison.

My perception, however, is completely incorrect!  Prior to the ill-fated event, 1.3 million foreign tourists visited the island each year. Immediately afterwards this number dropped by 30% – this was only an initial decline and it would seem even secondary attacks that took place three years later wouldn’t deter the foreign visitors with most recent figures reporting that 2.3 million foreign tourists visit Bali on an annual basis.  Please note that these are only “foreign” tourists and do not allow for domestic tourists, or those relocating from other parts of Indonesia to seek work in the lucrative tourist market.

It comes as absolutely no surprise then, that Bali’s infrastructure is buckling under the pressure of the increased traffic – especially in and around Kuta hence the announcement that no more hotels will be developed within the main tourist zone in an attempt to share the tourists with other parts of the island, and give the infrastructure a chance to catch up with what is required of it.

Getting around in Bali is easy, especially when you have a driver that you trust!  Feel like royalty and get chauffeured around in style!

There is more to Bali than Kuta, Sanur, Uluwatu and Ubud and now the Bali provincial administration wants you to find out for yourself!

There will be no more permits approved to construct any more hotels in the regions of Denpasar, Badung and Gianyar until further notice.  The intent is to share the tourism opportunity with other regions of the island.

Currently 85% of the accommodation the island has to offer is located in the areas mentioned above, leaving some really beautiful locations off the radar.  With such large portion of accommodation on offer being in these regions, one can easily forget the beauty which lies beyond.  Places like Lovina and Balian Beach offer an idealic setting for a relaxing  get-away; and Talumben and Amed – more than just a diving day trip.

To support this new regulation the government is contributing by adding new infrastructure in the way of a new airport at Singaraja and a yacht port at Karangasem to make the other parts of the island more accessible and convenient to access.

Check out the rest of Bali for yourself

Bali has been confirmed as the most booked Asian destination in 2010, leaving Hong Kong and Singapore in second and third spots respectively.  In information provided by online booking company Wotif.com, Indonesia also improved on previous years by becoming the second most popular region in Asia, behind Thailand who have cemented themselves in first spot – for what seems like forever!

The strong performance put in by Bali has been attributed to Hollywood’s contribution of the Eat, Pray, Love movie.  The portrayal of the island in the movie has re-ignited the worlds interest in Bali as the visitors came flooding in.

Wotif.com has been ranked as the number one  site in the “Travel – Destinations & Accommodation” category for six consecutive years (as per Hitwise,  Australia) and processes a record $1.1 billion in transactions in 2010.

Create your own personal Bali experience

If you’ve ever caught a boat in the Benoa Harbour, checked out Turtle Island or perhaps crossed over to visit the islands of Lembongan or Nusa Penida – you will most likely have noticed the local Balinese wading into the ocean with a raft or bag in tow, collecting seaweed.  More noticeable when you get over onto the islands of Lembongan or Penida when you see the beds of seaweed on the shorelines, drying.

Seaweed is big business in Bali, in 2010 they actually exported 150,000 tonnes of the stuff!  The seaweed is farmed to be exported for edible products, with the biggest orders headed for the United States and Japan.

Seaweed farming was an opportunity that was presented to the local fisherman a few years ago as an alternative source of income, due to the over-fishing and destruction of the coral reefs.  Considering that seaweed pays almost double what fishing does, the idea has taken off!  In 2009, just over 100,000 tonnes was cultivated, so the last 12 months has seen a very sharp increase in production!

Experience the REAL Bali – take a tour with a local and experience the best this beautiful island has to offer.

We are only one month into 2011 and Bali has already had Legionnaires and volcanic ash serve as deterrents to potential tourists.  More pressing than either of these issues, however is the raising crime rate on the tourist island.

The tourist economy in Bali, is important not only to communities on that particular island, but also thousands of other communities throughout Indonesia whose wares supply the demands of millions of holiday makers that visit each year. As the Bali economy nows brims back to capacity, similar to that before 2002, unfortunately it also makes for an attractive playground for opportunistic criminals.  There have been a number of incidences this month already, of violent robberies against tourists and local business alike.

The Head of Police has issued strict orders to his force to act firmly with criminals targeting tourists. Tackling the issue from another angle, the Bali Villa Association is in place to work with the management of accommodation facilities to ensure they are well-equipped and have adequate security measures in place to protect the safety of their guests at all times.

It is irrelevant where in the world you are when on  holiday, tourists have always been an easy target for criminals – take some time to read through this safety information for travelling to Bali.

Check out this news report from the last time Mt Bromo caused air traffic chaos two months ago – note that ash that time was shooting 2,300 ft into the air… this time it is 18,000!

Volcanic ash has the consistency of tiny glass particles, particles that when sucked into a jet engine has the potential to completely shut it down – hence no one wants to fly through it!”

For the third time in recent months, volcanic ash from East Java has forced airlines to cancel flights into Denpasar.

Mt Bromo, of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, ordinarily a tourist attraction itself is once again the culprit with the volcano pushing volcanic ash into the atmosphere again yesterday after being reactivated in November after a year-long lull. The ash was reaching heights of 5,500 metres in a south-east direction which has attracted the concern of flight operators.

Airline websites have posted important information about the situation – Jetstar cancelled all flights late yesterday and Pacific Blue have announced that they are cancelling all flights for the next 24 hours as a precautionary measure, several other international airlines have taken the same action. The situation is being closely monitored by aviation officials, however at this point the airport at Denpasar has NOT closed, with some flights still arriving/departing.

If you are due to fly into Bali today, please check with your airline as to whether your flight is still scheduled and if not what options are available to you in using your ticket at a later date.

If you are due to fly OUT of Bali today and can’t? There are definitely worse places to be stranded! Be thankful you weren’t on Jetstar flight 116 from Perth yesterday that had to turn away just one hour from their destination and head into Darwin then back home to Perth… not my idea of a holiday!

Indonesia boasts the highest number of BlackBerry users outside of North America, and for that reason Research In Motion (RIM) couldn’t resist choosing beautiful Bali as the location for the BlackBerry Developers Conference.

Engineers from Bali company Mitrais were among the developers to attend the conference which took place in Nusa Dua, in attendance also were senior RIM executives from Canada and South East Asia.

With competition within the Smartphone industry hotting up, bringing events such as this to Indonesia provides a great opportunity for developers from South East Asia to learn from the experienced, and also make some contributions of their own.

Discover beautiful Bali for yourself!

I remember visiting Bali late in 2009 just after the crew from Eat, Pray, Love had stirred up plenty of excitement in their six week filming stint on the Island of the Gods.

The film is an adaptation of the 2006 book by Elizabeth Gilbert starring Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem.  Eat, Pray, Love is a personal memoir of the author and is the story of her personal journey around the world to find spiritual solace and healing and ultimately leads her to love.

It is no secret that the state of Bali’s tourism has suffered as a result of terrorist attacks in recent years with tourist numbers only slowly, but steadily, increasing each year. Eat, Pray, Love has been the answer with tourism booming since the release of the film with tourist numbers doubling since 2006.

In 2010 Bali recorded 2.5 million international visitors to the island, an increase from 2.2 million and 1.96 million recorded in the previous two years, respectively.

Experience the best of Bali and the beauty that inspired this story, book your driver to take you to see Ubud, Jimbaran, Uluwatu and other filming locations from Eat, Pray, Love.

Arrested Development, the two-time Grammy winners alternative Hip Hop group from Georgia, will be performing their set at the Hard Rock Cafe in Kuta on the 16th of January.

Founded in 1988 by Speech, Arrested Development have been ground-breakers in their industry providing a very different sound than other musicians of their time, have forged  a new genre of  Hip Hop.  The positive vibes conveyed by their sound also translate into their lives outside of music, with the group well known for their humanitarian work putting their support behind Nelson Mandela, UNICEF and the National Coalition for the Homeless – to name just a few.

Arrested Development are touring to promote their ninth album, Strong.

The event will be strictly 18 years and older, doors open at 9.00pm with Arrested Development taking the stage at 11.00pm – tickets are 250,000 RP, please consult that Hard Rock website for more details.

Will you be in Bali for this event? Why not check out some more of the island while you’re there? Take a day trip in Bali and experience the beauty of this exotic island.