4th International Bali Meditators Festival

in Bali

Aug 30, 2012

The Fourth International Bali Meditators Festival will this year again take place in Ubud, Bali, from September 20-23, 2012. The Festival carries the theme, "One Earth, One Sky, One Humankind: Towards Global Peace and Interfaith Harmony through Meditation."

The annual Bali Meditators Festival has attracted the world’s attention, and this year, registered participants attending are from the United States, France, Brazil, the Netherlands, Japan, Australia, Germany, and Malaysia, while from within Indonesia, confirmed participants are from Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Semarang, Lampung, and Kalimantan.

Last year’s event was attended by around 1,000 people, and this year, organizers expect the numbers to increase significantly.

International speakers from a number of spiritual organizations in the world will share their knowledge and experience, and teach meditation and yoga techniques during the festival.
“IBMF 2012 shall be the place where people meditate and celebrate in love and togetherness. While meditation builds and strengthens human beings’ inner cores, celebration is the way to share the overwhelming joy. Together, participants are going to re-learn the forgotten language of love, and create a path towards a peaceful world and a united mankind.”

The Festival features music and dance performances, apart from formal sessions such as panel discussions and workshops. Special events will include various programs such as yoga for kids, yoga for youth, and many more. There is also a bazaar area with a beautiful view on Ubud’s green landscape.
In connection with the International Bali Meditators Festival, Deputy Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies in Bali (ASITA Bali), Bagus Sudibya, told the press that Bali was rapidly becoming increasingly popular as a spiritual tourism destination, as evidence from requests made by foreign travel agents for their clients, said Bagus Sudibya. Most groups are from Australia, the United States, Japan, and Europe, and their itineraries include yoga and meditation.

ASITA estimates that already 10 percent of tour programs handled by Bali ASITA member include Spiritual Tour Itineraries. Sudibya estimates that some 5 percent of all incoming foreign tourists to Bali enjoy spiritual tours.

“This shows that Bali has the potential to become a meaningful spiritual tourism destination, and most importantly, spiritual tourism can contribute to providing deeper meaning to Bali’s tourism development.” Today, travel agents actively offer tour spiritual tour packages to their clients, and the response has been positive since a growing number of people in the world seem to be looking for inner peace and happiness through self-healing amidst problems and turmoils in their lives.

IBMF was initiated by Anand Krishna, a world spiritual leader and founder of the Anan Ashram foundation. While the aim of the Festival is to spread awareness, wisdom, and care towards other human beings and the environment in order to create communities that are bright and healthy holistically.
For more detailed information and attendance, please click: http://www.balimeditates.org/ .

Source: Indonesia.travel

Bali tourism gearing up for 2013 APEC summit

Image via zapaday.com

Aug 31, 2012

JAKARTA, Indonesia - All the island’s tourism stakeholders are gearing up to warmly welcome the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, to be held in November 2013.
Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya, chairman of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Tourism Industry Association, is reassuring people in the industry that this international event will have a positive impact on the island’s economic condition.
“We are now witnessing the influx of foreign and domestic investment flowing into various sectors — infrastructure and tourist accommodation, in particular,” Wijaya said.
As part of the preparations to host the APEC summit, the central government also has been focusing on infrastructure improvement on the island through several construction projects.
The ongoing airport expansion project, the Dewa Ruci underpass and the construction of a toll road connecting Nusa Dua-Benoa and Ngurah Rai International Airport are to improve the island’s public facilities and all are expected to be complete by the first half of 2013.
The toll road, which will connect Benoa harbor, Ngurah Rai International Airport and the Nusa Dua tourism enclave, is being built under a public-private partnership involving seven state-owned enterprises: PT Jasa Marga, PT Pelindo III, PT Angkasa Pura I, PT Pengembangan Pariwisata Bali, PT Wijaya Karya, PT Adhi Karya, and PT Hutama Karya. The Bali provincial administration and the Badung regency administration will also invest around Rp 100 billion (US$10.5 million) each in the toll road project.
Meanwhile, the Dewa Ruci underpass is being built at the Dewa Ruci junction, a busy intersection next to Mall Bali Galeria in Kuta. It is the critical point of convergence for traffic to and from the island’s most important tourism sites, including Ngurah Rai International Airport, Nusa Dua, Kuta, Sanur, Denpasar and Ubud. Long and prolonged gridlock is a common sight at and around the intersection. The underpass will be 450 meters long and is estimated to cost Rp 136 billion funded from the state budget.
The expansion project for Ngurah Rai International Airport is also underway to anticipate the surge in traffic prior to the APEC summit. PT Angkasa Pura I, the operator of Ngurah Rai International Airport, has spent Rp 2.7 trillion to improve the airport’s international terminal, build a new apron and expand the parking facilities. The expansion project is expected to increase the airport’s total capacity from 9 million to 25 million passengers per year.
Beside the basic infrastructure, a number of new hotels are being built in Nusa Dua and its surrounding area. In Nusa Dua, at least 1,319 new luxury hotel rooms will be added
for the APEC summit. Some of the new rooms will be in six new hotels to be built in the area, one of which is the contentious Mulia Resort at Geger Beach.
The Nusa Dua luxury-hotel enclave is already home to 4,000 rooms in 15 hotels.
“Both before and after the summit, the current infrastructure projects will give additional value to Bali as an international tourist destination,” Wijaya said.
High quality basic infrastructure — including a well-equipped airport and congestion-free traffic, is badly needed to support the island’s tourism, he added.
Wijaya asserted that the construction of additional hotel rooms would not lead to an unhealthy tariff war among hotels and other accommodation providers caused by the oversupply of rooms.
“The current unhealthy tariff war is actually occurring among three-star hotels and non-starred hotels. We still need more five-star hotels in Bali to achieve quality tourism,” Wijaya said.
Besides bringing improved infrastructure, the APEC summit is expected to serve as free-of-charge promotion for tourism in Bali.
“You can figure out the benefits of APEC for Balinese tourism. There are 21 heads of state scheduled to attend the summit.”
In addition to world leaders, journalists from across the world will also come to cover the event.
Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said that the infrastructure projects implemented prior to the APEC summit were not only dedicated to the APEC meeting.
“These new projects are expected to enhance public facilities in Bali, to make the island more livable for the locals and a comfortable tourist destination for visitors,” the minister explained.
Mari added that the APEC summit should provide an opportunity to promote Balinese culture and tourism, and many of Bali’s best products. “We hope that we can use the momentum to improve Bali’s tourism image through various arts and cultural performances,” she said, adding that there would be many side events targeting tourism attractions throughout Bali during the APEC summit, including at Uluwatu and Taman Ayun Temple in Badung Regency, and Taman Safari Indonesia in Gianyar.

Source: thejakartapost.com

hadiah

2012년 9월 16일 일요일