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

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.

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.

Heavy rainfall in Bali has caused minor flooding in Denpasar and landslides in northern parts of the island, as infrastructure fails to cope with the deluge.

While some parts of Denpasar found themselves under 60cm of water, houses were ruined and hundreds of villagers evacuated in Sukasada (Singaraja region).

The unpredictable weather typical to this time of year usually brings tropical storms and strong winds to the island, especially the more southern parts.  The extreme weather, the outdated drainage system, as well as poorly regulated development – which has seen around 600ha of land cleared to make way for development are being blamed for this latest catastrophe.

Landslides in Bali

Map of Bali – village of Sukasada experience landslides which closed the main road between Singaraja and Denpasar.

Experience the best of Bali //

I read an interesting article on the Jakarta Globe website today reporting that Bali wants to curb discount tourism to prevent long-term damage to tourism in the area.  The fingers being pointed at travel agents for selling large tour packages at artificially low prices, promoting unhealthy competition with the trade-off being less-than-satisfactory service being provided to the guests.

The solution? The Bali Legislature has made a call to standardize prices across the tourism sector to boost visitor satisfaction.

Bali is cheap, anything you buy in Bali is cheap, an it’s reputation has always been that. Is the Legislature unaware of this or are they gunning for the title of expensive resort island?  The fact that it is so cheap makes it so attractive and makes visiting numerous times a year a possibility. Tourism in Bali suffered the most from the terrorist attacks in 2002 and 2005 – in fact tourist numbers are only now getting back to what they used to be more than five years down the track.

Most tourists that visit Bali know that they pay more for everything because of the colour of their skin, and will get “ripped off” at least once during their trip, but as long as they are assured a cheap holiday they will be back again, and again, and again! It is what it is, and if it weren’t that we’d all be going to Thailand, Vietnam or somewhere else in Indonesia?

The Bali Safari and Marine Park, only three years in existence, has received honours in the Indonesian Travel and Tourism Awards 2010/2011, being named as the Leading Amusement Park in Indonesia.

And there is little wonder why, the Bali Safari and Marine Park has it all… Lions, tigers, zebras, elephants, snakes, birds, fish… Hundreds of animals, some of which are both rare and endangered species.  Then of course there is the amusement park, the hotel, being able to dine with the beasts of the jungle – the perfect choice for a family day out in Bali.

These beautiful animals are comfortable at home in their Indonesian, Indian, and African savanna surrounds, and the work that Safari Park has put into creating this environment also represents a very important initiative in the conservation of many of these species.  There are 60 species of animals bred at the park as part of their conservation program.  Some of the amazing creatures featured are the Sumatran elephant, Sumatran tiger, white tiger, leopard, komodo dragon and cheetah, just to name a few.

The Bali Safari and Marine Park occupies 40 ha of land in Gianyar, approximately 35kms NE of Kuta.  The most convenient way to get there is to hire a driver for the day. The park is part of the Taman Safari Indonesia who are renown for creating similar projects throughout Indonesia.

On the 30th anniversary of the first Fremantle to Bali race, and after a 14 year absence, the ‘big boat’ ocean race will be resurrected next year.  An ocean rally and festival and the big race comprise the event, starting 23rd April 2011 with boats expected to start crossing the finish line at the Royal Bali Yacht Club in the Benoa Harbour from the 29th April.  The record for the race was set in its very first year by Rolly Tasker at six days, 15 hour and 39 minutes in his yacht “Siska”.

The race, being hosted by the Fremantle Sailing Club has been organised in partnership with the Indonesian Government Ministry of Culture and Tourism, represents a great opportunity for both Fremantle and Bali to promote themselves on the world stage.  The race is 1440 nautical miles, more than two and a half times the Sydney to Hobart, a challenge that has already attracted over 70 competitors registering their interest, including some big names.

Visit Indonesia is the major sponsor of the race, under a five year agreement with the Indonesian Government.