edition may 2015

Vol. X May 2015

Let’s Work on Marine Tourism

A surprising statement was conveyed by Tour-ism Minister Arief Yahya some time ago. He said that contribution of marine tourism in Indonesia is only 10 percent from the total tourism in the coun-try. This statement indicates that there is a deep reflection towards the management of marine tour-ism and serious intention to more seriously develop marine tourism sector.

Until now, marine tourism in Indonesia has not yet attracted much attention from both domestic and foreign tourists although Indonesia’s marine potentials are abundant and vary.

Arief explained that contribution of marine tourism in Indonesia is far behind oth-er countries in Asia, which areas are not as vast as Indonesia. “Malaysia, which sea area is not larger than ours, can contribute 40 percent,” said Arief. Moreover, Arief said that there are three areas that can be included into marine tourism, namely sea, underwater and beach. “As much as 60 percent of them is for beach tourism, 30 percent for sea tourism and 10 percent is for underwater tourism,” he said.

One of the reasons of the small contribution of marine tourism is because the destination is not managed maximally yet. “Marine tourism potentials in the country is huge, unfortunately it has not managed well yet,” Arief said.

It is good that we are aware of it so that marine tourism can be managed more seriously in order to attract more tourists to the country. Let’s go to the sea not only for fishing, but also for enjoying the beauty of the sea. ***

Igo Kleden

DIREKTUR Igo Kleden [email protected]

EDITOR

Tri Wibowo

[email protected]

MARKETING MANAGER

Dewi Antini

[email protected]

PHOTOCONTRIBUTOR Sonny Tumbelaka

Bobo Tandiono

REPORTER Erwin Gumilar (Jakarta) Komang Wahyuni, Wiss Kedang, Dona Trihapsari FINANCE & Yuni ArianiACCOUNTING

TRANSLATOR Indira Sari Paputungan

GRAPHIC DESIGN Yudick Ariant

DISTRIBUTOR Donny Sakura

CONTRIBUTOR Christovao Vinhas Cok Dewi Modestus Suharman Hubertus Samsi

www.paradiso.co.id

www.paradiso.co.id PT. Travindo Jaya

Jl. Batas Dukuh Sari Gg Curik no. 11 Denpasar - Bali - Indonesia 80222

Phone : 0361 - 8959507 Fax: +62 361 8474102Hp. 081338306900 w up : 081238711251

email : [email protected]

Bank Account : 097001023164531Bank BRI Cab. Sesetan - Denpasar

Editor’s Note

Thanks To :

DISTRIBUTIONDOMESTIC: BALI - Kuta, Ngurah Rai Airport, Nusa Dua, Sanur, Denpasar and Ubud Area. JAKARTA - Tri Wibowo Hp. 081236044326. SURABAYA - Jl.Jend.Basuki Rahmat 129-137, Surabaya 60271. YOGYAKARTA - Jl.Rumah Makan Gudeg 60 Citro, Laksda Adisucipto Km 9, Yogyakarta 55281, LOMBOK - Jl. Adi Sucipto No. 43, Ampenan - Lombok 83234 KUPANG - Jl. Walikota Kupang 13 SUMBA BARAT - Jl. Sudirman No. 5 Waikabubak - Sumba Barat. SUMBA TIMUR - Jl. Eltari No. 41 Matawai - Sumba Timur, LABUAN BAJO - Martin Meotoda, Ph. 081338151744

OvERSEAS: MALAYSIA - maxiINFO, 32-3-1, Jalan Medan Putra 4 Medan Putra Business Centre. Off Jalan Damansara, 52200 Kuala Lumpur. AUSTRALIA - 262 Wardel rd, Dulwich Hill-Sydney – NSW – 2203. Australia. THAILAND - 94/23 Wichitsongkram Rd. Kathu, Phuket 83120, WASHINGTON DC - 19233 - Wheat-field Terrace - Gaitthersburg, MD 20879. CANADA - 152, rue Notre-Dame est, 8 etage, Montreal, Qc, Canada H2Y 3p6. NETHERLAND - Vrijburglaan 72051 LA Overveen +31 235253619. ITALY - Viale Regina Margherita 270 - 00198, Rome, FRANCE - Europasia Commercial Agency, 15, rue Vallete 75005, Paris. GER-MANY - Hattersheimerstr, 19, Frankfurt 60326. CZECH REPUBLIC - Na Zamecke 6/409 140 000 Prague Czech Republic, CUBA - Hotel Sevilla, Trocadero y Zuleta y Prado, 55, La Habana, Ph./Fax. +53 07 8669767. SLOVENIA - Kompas D.D, Prazakova 4, 1514, Ljubyana, Slovenia. CZECH REPUBLIC - Mr. Miroslav Rada-kovic, Na Zamecke 6/409 140 000 Prague Czech Republic, Ph. +420 261219316 - 19, Fax. +261 219320. CUBA - Viaggi del mappamondo - Cuba, c/o Hotel Sevilla, Trocadero y Zuleta y Prado, 55, La Habana, Ph./Fax. +53 07 8669767. SLOVENIA - Miss. Polona Pirnat, c/o Kompas D.D, Prazakova 4, 1514, Ljubyana, Slovenia.

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Conten8 | Focus

30 Countries to Get Free Visa to Indonesia

9 | Focus

Garuda Indonesia Starts Eye-ing European Free-Visa Routes

11 | News

GATF 2015 Offers Interesting Dis-count

12 | News

Lippo Group to Develop Tour-ist Destination in Eastern Indo-nesia

15 | News

Djarum Foundation and SMBC Support Nautical School in Kudus

24 | Event & Destination

Commemorating 200 Years of Tambora Eruption

43 | Bali

Bali Hotels Association Community Relations


Dozens Tourism Attractions to Celebrate the 60 Years of AAC

26 | Event & Destinaition

Suluban Beach Bali’s Surfers Paradise at Ulu-watu

42 | Bali

Archipelago International Ready to Open New Quest Ho-tel in Denpasar, Bali


Cat Cafe for Cat Lover

36 | Togean

The Most Beautiful Sea Garden

36 | Ngada - Flores

Kampung Adat Gurusina Ngada – Flores

44 | Bali

Dynasty’s 25th Anniversary Celebrations

45 | Bali

Family Hotspot in the Heart of Seminyak

Targeting Rp 12 Trillion

from Free-Visa Policy

The government has finally agreed to provide free-visa for short visit to Indonesia for 30 countries. “Free-

visa policy is one of our ways to increase foreign tourist visit to Indonesia in order to increase earnings from tourism sector,” said Tourism minister Arief Yahya.

According to Arief, the implementation

of free-visa policy is following the success of some countries in increasing their tourist arrival through implementing such policy. He gave Malaysia, which has provided free-visa to 144 countries, and Thailand to 56 countries as example. “We’re currently providing free-visa to 45 countries,” he said.

Government hopes that free-visa provi-sion can increase foreign tourist arrival to around 1 million people. Arief calculates that with the average spending of US$ 1,200 per person, in a year there will be extra income from foreign tourists as much as US$ 1 billion.

Arief ensures that the provision of

free-visa to Indonesia to more countries will be followed by readiness of tourism management within the country itself. With the increase up to 50% from the current position, tourism capacity of Indonesia is still sufficient. The policy is planned to be effective next week.

Some countries that will get free-visa to Indonesia are China, Japan, South Korea, America, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico, Russia, England, Franc, German, Holland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Po-land, Hungary, Czech, Qatar, United Arab Emirate, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and South Africa. (*)

8 | Paradiso May, 2015

Focus

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Indroyono Soesilo said that Indonesia is

targeting to achieve foreign exchange amounting to US$ 1 billion or around Rp 12 trillion from the implementation of free-visa policy for 45 countries.

“The target of this policy is to bring an additional of one million foreign tourists with a minimum earning of US$ 1 billiion. In order to succeed the program, I ask the policy to be socialized to public for the policy will later open job opportunity, especially in tourism areas,” he said.

It is said, the public will receive di-rect foreign exchange should therefore

make souvenirs and culinary. But the friendliness of the people, hygiene and sanitation also needs to be improved. For security reasons, deputy chief of Police Commissioner General Badro-din Haiti also decided to expand and strengthen the tourism police force.

“Strengthening the tourism police unit, will primarily be focused on the arrival gate of foreign tourists namely Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Kualanamu Medan, Juanda Airport in Surabaya, Denpasar Ngurah Rai Airport and Hang Nadim Airport Batam. Later the number of tourism police will be added as well as the placement location, “he said. (* / Ant)

30 Countries to Get Free Visa to Indonesia

Targeting Rp 12 Trillion

from Free-Visa Policy

Arief Yahya


Focus

Garuda Indonesia starts eyeing European market to open new routes related to the provision of

free-visa to 30 countries for short visit to Indonesia .

Director of Garuda Indonesia Arif Wi-bowo said that European countries that are made into priority are England, Holland, France and German. Garuda is currently conducting study to priority countries, which has been started in England and Holland and considering to conduct the same study in France and German as well.

“European market is potential consider-ing its average occupancy rate is 80%. Thus, Garuda will increase the frequency from four days to five days in a week and

later to become daily flight. We will con-sider several new cities such as Paris and some others in Eastern Europe,” said Arif Wibowo.

He further said that another support-ing factor in the plan of opening new route to Europe is that Garuda Indonesia is favorited by foreign tourists. Garuda’s passengers are mostly foreigners and this indicates that it can be accepted interna-tionally.

“However, I think that is still a problem when it is related to the maximum takeoff weight of a Boeing B-777 is still inappropri-ate. The maximum MTOW of direct flight to Europe is 336 tons, while Garuda is still at 351 tons,” he said.

He added, Garuda cannot take full seat due to the restriction. However, Garuda Indonesia welcome positively the provi-sion of free-visa to 30 countries for it can increase passengers, especially for recre-ational activities.

“I’m targeting, with the provision of free-visa to 30 countries, international flight to increase 10% from the current position, which has contributed 35%. Free-visa policy is good incentive for us, because it can bring more income and strengthen the value of rupiah.

“ China, Japan, South Korea, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico, and Russia, “he said.

He explained that back, then England, Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Poland. Furthermore, Hungary, Czech, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and South Africa. (*)

Tourism industry in Indonesia welcomes positively the implementation of free-visa

policy to 30 countries, which aims to increase the number of foreign tourist arrival to Indonesia and foreign exchange from tourism sector.

Association of Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) in Jakarta con-siders the implementation of free-visa policy to contribute positive impact on the increase of tourist arrival to the

country. Chairman of ASITA Jakarta, Hasiyan-

na Ashadi said that tourism practitio-ners in Indonesia have expected this since long time ago.

“We welcome positively for this has been expected since long time ago. Our neighboring countries have provided free-visa for short visit and we also want to do the same thing,” he said.

However Hasiyanna also added, this

visa-free policy must be accompanied also by active promotion. Free-visa policy has helped a lot, but without consistent promotion nationally and internationally people might not know that Indonesia has free-visa policy.

A total of nine million tourists visited Indonesia in 2014 and generate rev-enues of US $ 10 billion. This year the government is targeting revenues from tourism amounted to $ 12 billion. (*)

Garuda Indonesia Starts Eyeing European Free-Visa Routes

Tourism Industry Welcomes Free-Visa Policy

Arif Wibowo


News

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya is targeting Indonesia to attract 4 million foreign marine tourism tourists by

2019. “The target of our marine tourism in

2019 is to attract 4 million foreign tour-ists, and this year for a beginning, we’re targeting 1.3 million foreign tourists,” said Arief Yahya in the Tourism Journalist Forum Seminar with the theme of “Improv-ing Islands’ Connectivity in Indonesia for Development of Marine Tourism” in Sapta Pesona Building, Jakarta, on (10/3/2015).

Tourism Ministry also targets marine tourism sector to contribute foreign exchange up to US$ 4 billion in 2019. For this year, government is targeting US$ 1 billion earnings from marine tourism sector.

“We’re going to develop strategic area of national tourism especially for marine tourism in as many points as possible in the next five years,” Arief said.

He added that in the first phase this year, Tourism Ministry is going to develop 8 strategic national tourism areas for marine tourism. Besides that, government will build 100 marinas, 10 cruise ports that can accommodate 800 calls and 45 diving destinations.

In the first year, as many as 25 diving destinations will be developed until the end of 2015 in addition to the construction of marina in a number of areas, which enable 750 ships to dock and 400 call for cruise ship ports.

Tourism Ministry has projected that marine tourism foreign tourist arrival will be increasing in the next five years. The 2014’s target was 1 million tourist arrivals and it increased to 1.3 million in 2015, 1.8 million in 2016, 2.3 million in 2017, 3 million in 2018 and might reach 4 million people in 2019. “Most of foreign tourists are interested in beach, yacht, cruise and diving,” he said.

Tourism Minister admits that Indonesia has not optimally managed marine tourism as source of income while many countries have done it. He gave Queensland (Austra-lia) as example. Queensland with coastline as long as 2100 km can earn USD 3 billion from marine tourism in 2012 while Indone-

sia with 95181 km coastline can only earn USD 1 billion from marine tourism sector.

In the future, Arief emphasized the importance of optimizing marine tourism sector in order to boost the performance of tourism sector in Indonesia, including to achieve the target of 20 million foreign tourist arrival as well as to equalize the distribution of foreign tourist throughout the country.

BPPI Asks Government to Map Marine Tourism Islands

Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board asks the government to map islands throughout Indonesia to support marine tourism development in the country.

“Besides mapping strategic marine tour-ism points in the national tourism strategic areas, we also ask the government to map the most ready islands to be marketed in the marine tourism packages,” said head of BPPI Wiryanti Sukamdani in the Tourism Journalist Forum Seminar with the theme of Improving Connectivity of Islands in Indo-nesia for Marine Tourism Development in Sapta Pesona Building, Jakarta on Tuesday (10/3/2015).

According to Yanti, with 17,504 islands in Indonesia, a clear mapping is required

to identify islands that are ready to support marine tourism development. The mapping is important for conservation purpose and strengthening service to tourists.

“There are many beautiful islands that have been known by tourists, but haven’t been managed optimally,” Yanti said.

She gave Gili Trawangan in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) as an example. The island has potentials to be developed into bigger tourist destination. Unfortunately, people who manage the tourism sector in the area are still lack of awareness towards the aspects of security, health and cleanliness.

“We often travels and being sick when we get home. This can be an indication that many tourism islands in our country are polluted,” she said.

BPPI consider that Indonesia has great marine potentials especially in eastern Indonesia, but unfortunately they have not managed optimally.

“We encourage marine tourism devel-opment and one of them is by boosting promotion of marine tourism in countries that become our target market,” she said.

Some programs conducted include sales mission in Amsterdam, Paris, Sydney and Kunming (China). Besides that, BPPI also work on niche market in Chongqing (China), Tokyo and Mumbai.

Government’s Targeting to Attract 4 Million Marine Tourism Tourists

Arief Yahya


News

Garuda Indonesia and BNI are going to hold Garuda Indonesia Travel Fair (GATF) 2015. The event will be

held in April simultaneously in 17 provincial capitals in Indonesia. Garuda EVP of Commercial , Handayani, said that in the first period 3 – 5 April 2015 GATF will be held in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Solo, Semarang, Ujung Pandang, Surabaya, Pontianak and Balikpapan.

The second period 10-12 April 2015, GATF will be held in Medan, Pekanbaru, Batam, Banjarmasin, Denpasar, Manado, Biak and Jayapura.

“This will become one of precious momentum for both BNI’s and Garuda’s clients for they can get many benefits such as vacation with special offer,” said Handay-ani during the press conference at Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), Monday (23/3).

GATF is one-stop-shopping that offers cheap airline ticket, hotel deals, tour pack-ages and other holiday supplies.

In cooperation with independent busi-ness partner that consist of 45 tour opera-tors, 6 hotels, 4 national tourism organiza-tions, 5 corporates and travel equipment,

media partner and BNI as partner bank. The offer given is quite interesting for

GATF will also provide easiness for travel-ers like up to 13% discount for domestic ticket and 20% for international flight.

There is also “Buy One Get 75% Off” program for business-class passengers on certain domestic routes. In addition, “Best Deal” program provides passengers with various interesting offers for domestic and international flight.

“Happy Hour” is a program that allows passengers to buy ticket with up to 80% discount at 10 – 12 am and 6 – 9 pm everyday. “GATF 2015 has the theme of “Fly With Style”, a concept that describe fresher, young and sophisticated event,” said Handayani.

Targeting 15% Sales Increase

“People’s interest for vacation is increas-ing. For GATF 2015, we’re targeting sales as much as IDR 245 billion or increases by

10%- 15% compared to last year’s event,” said Handayani.

Handayani mentioned that Garuda in GATF 2014 has successfully booked sales as much as IDR 225.17 billion. Travel Fair, which is held twice a year brought 113,251 visitors in. “We expect the number of visi-tors in GATF 2015 can reach more than 120,000 people,” she said.

On the same occasion, Director of BNI Anggoro Eko Cahyo said that most of BNI’s customers use BNI Credit Card for travel and leisure transactions.

“We have 1.7 million BNI Credit Card holders. Around 7,500 are BNI Garuda Platinum holders. We’re targeting more customers make transactions in GATF 2015,” he said.

From the total sales target of IDR 245 billion, Anggoro said, BNI is targeting transactions using BNI Card up to IDR 50 billion. “That value increases by 40% com-pared to GATF 2014. We’re optimistic to reach the target for BNI Credit Card users in Jakarta reach 500,000 people,” Anggoro said. (bowo)

GATF 2015 Offers Interesting Discount


News

Lippo Group through PT Lippo Karawaci Ltd. Is going to develop several main tourist destinations

in eastern Indonesia starting this year. Chief Executive Officer Lippo Homes, Ivan Budiono, in Manado, said that Lippo Group sees that Eastern Indonesia has rich natural potentials that can be developed into tourist destination. This year, Lippo will start developing domestic and international tourist destinations in Manado and then Komodo Island and Raja Ampat.

“These three areas are potential to be developed into tourist destination. However, besides cooperation with the government, it also requires involve-ment of private sector to make it faster. It is also possible to invite foreign investors to join in the development so that it can be finished as soon as pos-

sible,” Ivan said. Currently, Lippo Group is investing

IDR 6 trillion on the development of residential area and Monacobay busi-ness in Manado city, North Sulawesi Province. This prestigious project is located in prime CBD area of Manado Boulevard and named Monaco Bay, Manado Resort City.

“Monaco Bay is the biggest and new-est development in eastern Indonesia as well as the only development with the concept of integrated luxurious resort style. Therefore, the presence of Monaco Bay will put Manado at the equal position with cities with the best international-standard resorts in the world such as Monaco City,” he said.

Ivan added that Monaco Bay is go-ing to be developed on 8ha area and designed by international architect

team. It is planned that there will be eight landmark towers built on the area. Monaco Bay also presents 15 in 1 specialty that will make Manado recog-nized as marine tourist destination and international resort city.

“Monaco Bay Manado Resort City will have luxurious Lippo Mall, 5-star Lippo Hotel, Lifestyle Office, Cinemaxx, The New X-zone, Private Member Club, Lippo World Expo, Grand Chapel, Promenade Lifestyle, International School, International Siloam Hospitals, Helicopter Service, Guest House, and Marina Port,” he said.

Ivan explained that North Sulawesi, especially Manado, is known as center of world coral that makes it recognized as entry gate of marine tourism in Su-lawesi Island and Eastern Indonesia. (*)

Lippo Group to Develop Tourist Destination in Eastern Indonesia


News

Tourism Promotion conducted by Indonesian government together with tourism practitioners to

a number of European countries is considered to have positive impact although it needs to be more active in order to attract more tourists from Europe to visit Bali.

“The number of tourists from Europe is increasing, although tourists visiting Bali still mostly come from Australia, China, and Japan,” said tourism ob-server Dewa Rai Budiasa in Denpasar recently.

Based on the data from Bali Province Tourism Bureau, the number of tourists from Europe who visited Bali in 2014 reached 744,788 people or 20% from the total of foreign tourists visiting the island, which reached 3.7 million people.

This is a positive condition, especially in the beginning of 2015, European tourist arrival continues increasing.

There are 18,620 tourists from England during the period January – February 2015 or 25.25% increased from the same period in 2014, which were only 14,866 people.

Dewa Rai who had worked in Indo-nesian Embassy in Germany said that the number of Dutch people visiting Bali is also increasing by 21.62% to 12,284 people and France by 9.48% to 14,461 people.

Meanwhile, tourists from Ger-many increased by 3% from 10,689 to 11,005 people in the period January – February 2015. The low increase is due to the European tourists who usually visit Bali in mid year around July, August and September.

Dewa Rai added that the increas-ing number of foreign tourist visit to Bali is the result of active promotion conducted by the government and tourism industry, and also Indonesia’s participation in various tourism marts

in Europe. Indonesia in 2014 participated in

Nordic Travel Fair that took place in Helsinki, Finland. In that event, Indone-sia presented Rangda and Barong from Bali as the main attraction.

The biggest travel fair in North Europe was followed by 1,102 partici-pants from 81 countries and attended by not less than 76,000 visitors. Indo-nesia had the theme of “Mystical Bali” with Rangda and Barong as the main decoration.

Dewa Rai, who is now managing Balinese art for tourist performance, ex-plains that the presence of Rangda and Barong, which have magical power, had successfully attracted the attention of visitors.

“International community who have watched Indonesian art and cultural performance, including Rangda and Barong, will absolutely have interest to visit Bali Island,” said Dewa Rai. (*/ant)

Tourism has become important sector to be developed in order to create young generations who are creative,

innovative and aware of the importance of nation’s potentials.

Banyuwangi Regent Abdullah Aswar Anas said that the most important thing is that the leader of the region aware and able to identify the potentials of their area. Asean Economic Community (AEC) becomes good opportunity for economic development in Indonesia.

“Banyuwangi uses its beautiful nature pan-orama, especially the National Park. This kind of potential should be maintained in terms of its naturalness,” said Azwar Anas.

According to Azwar Anas, so far, people consider their area to be developed if there are many malls when it is actually not the symbol of advancement of an area.

Another key to develop tourism sector is by maximizing communication and role of local

people. Young people in Banyuwangi should be involved to encourage people to actively participate in developing their area. “Young people is in productive age that need to be encouraged to shape the future of Indonesia,” he said.

As the city that receives The Best Champion Digital Society and Marketer of The Year in 2014, Banyuwangi also uses social media a lot. Even the selling of goats, cows and other cattle is done online.

Indonesian tourism sector’s strategy in facing AEC 2015 becomes important aspect to show that Indonesia’s natural and human resources are as good as other countries.

Infrastructure and connectivity also need improvement. Since the construction of air-port in Banyuwangi, it takes only 40 minutes to reach the city. There are also 1,400 wifi spots in public areas in the city. (*)

Tourism Promotion to Europe Has Significant Effect

Banyuwangi Maximizes Tourism Potentials to Welcome AEC

Abdullah Aswar Anas


News

The number of tourist arrivals to Indonesia in January 2015 amounted to 723,039 people, down by 3.99

% compared to January 2014 amounted to 753,079 . The decline in foreign tourist visits in the first month of 2015 is partly due to weather factor that caused floods and landslides in several areas in the country .

In January 2015 as the peak of the rain that accompanied by cloud caused Air Asia QZ 8501 route Surabaya - Singapore to crash in Karimata Strait.

In addition to weather factors , the decline in foreign tourists visit in the first months of 2015 as well as the shifting of the Chinese New Year holiday season , which a few years ago fell in January and this year is in February . Some foreign tour-ist visit such as from China and Taiwan as of this January decreased respectively by -8.74 % and -17.44 %.

Data from Central Bureau of Statis-tics and Data and Information Center of Tourism Ministry show that from 16 main market focus, as many as 12 markets experienced a downturn, namely: Russia (-47,00%); Malaysia (-20,94%); Taiwan (-17,44%); Middle East (-15,74%); Philip-pine (-11,06%); Singapore (-10,28%); Germany (-9,80%); China (-8,74%); America (-5,18%); India (-2,27%); France

(-2,03%), and Holland (-1,04%).

however, the decline in foreign tourist visit in January in 12 focus markets can still be compensated by the increase in 4 main markets, namely: South Korea (+12.03%, Australia (+8.64%), Japan (+7.45%) and England (+4.15%). Increase in the market besides being able to restrain the rate of decline , is also expected to accelerate the growth of tourists in the next months so that the target of 10 million foreign tourists visit this year will be exceeded .

Efforts to increase foreign tourists visit in the coming months, Tourism Ministry together with tourism businesses and other stakeholders actively promoting online or offline using digital media and among oth-ers by holding events in the country and follow the international tourism market in foreign countries.

A number of events held during January 2015 , among others: Christmas and New Year 2015 Expo Week, Caran River Festival ( Tanjung Pinang - Riau Islands ) , Tour de Pangandaran 2015 ( West Java ) , Bintan Marathon 2014 (Riau ) , Audax Lombox Axtreme 2015, Chinese New Year Fair 2015, and Michael Buble Live in Jakarta 2015. Meanwhile promotional activities in the international tourism market in foreign countries including ATF ( Myanmar ) ,

South Asia tourism & Travel Expo ( India ) , Perth Holiday & Travel Expo ( Australia ) , NATAS Travel Fair ( Singapore ) , MATTA Fair ( Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia ) , Arabian Travel Mart 2014 ( Dubai ) , and the ITB Berlin ( Germany )

Wonderful Indonesia appeared in the International Tourism Borse ( ITB ) Berlin that took place in Messe Berlin , Germany on 4 to 8 March 2015. The Indonesian del-egation was led by Tourism Ministry Arief Yahya bringing around 100 participants from tourism businesses and the provincial tourism department. It is expected to get tourism business transaction that will bring foreign tourists visit this year and next .

According to the Directorate of Market Development and Tourism Information of Tourism Ninistry, from 16 primary market focus, 4 markets, namely: South Korea, Australia , Japan , and the UK are experi-encing positive growth , among others, because it is supported by an effective promotional activities , as well as the long holiday season coincidentally occur . For example , there is the longest summer vacation in Australia as it includes school holidays , Christmas and New Year in December 2014 - January 2015 when Australians choose traveled on the beach to spend the summer holidays and one of them is by visiting Bali.(*/bowo)

Weather constrained , Foreign Tourist Visits Down 3.9 % in January


News

Indonesian marine area is close to 70 % of the total area of Indonesia . Unfortunately , Indonesian marine

area has not been coupled with the power of the human resources to manage it . The need for nautical labor is very high, the Ministry of Transportation noted , nautical schools in Indonesia currently are only able to produce 5 % of graduates of 69,000 sailors needed

Djarum Foundation realizes the im-portance of this matter . Through quality improvement program for Vocational High School , Djarum Foundation with PT Bank Sumitomo Mitsui Indonesi ( SMBCI ) and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation ( SMBC ) , one of the largest banking institu-tions in Japan and its subsidiary , is trying to produce professional sailors in order to meet those needs.

Djarum Foundation , together with SMB-CI and SMBC , implement the Memoran-dum of Understanding ( MoU ) to improve social initiatives in Indonesia.

At this early stage , they do a joint initia-tive with the opening of two programs of expertise on nautical study program in Wisudha Karya Vocational High School, Kudus , Central Java , namely Nautical of Commerce Vessel and Commerce Vessel technique.

The whole package of expertise in this

course refers to the standard curriculum of the International Maritime Organization ( IMO ).

“The signing of MoU with Djarum Foundation proves our commitment to sustainable development in the social field in Indonesia, which is one of the main objectives of our investment and where we are aiming to realize the full banking ser-vice ,” said Masayuki Shimura , Chairman and Managing Director SMBCI , Head of Asia Pacific Division and Emerging Market Business Division SMBC

“At the beginning of this partnership, we support human resource development in order to become a professional and quali-fied workforce , through our support for the vocational school “ , Masayuki Shimura added.

The signing of MoU and inauguration of nautical study program in Wisudha Karya Vocational High School was done on Thurs-day, 26 March 2015.

In addition to representatives from SMB and Djarum Foundation , the signing was also attended by H. Musthofa as Kudus Regent and Capt. Weku Frederik Karuntu MM . , Head of Nautical Sub Division of the Ministry of Transportation.

Wisudha Karya VHS becomes the only nautical high school in Indonesia that have the facility of Full Mission Bridge Simulator.

This school prepares young officers in the field of commercial ships navigating through Nautical Commerce Vessel. The young officer candidate is provided with basic nautical knowledge for 3 years , coupled with the practice for 1 year.

Graduates will receive a certificate Nautical Expert Level IV , or a Certificate of Competency Class 4 internationally acclaimed.

Another expertise is Technique of Com-merce Vessel. Equipped with a ship engine room , the young officer candidates are prepared to become an expert machining commercial ships . With the same study period , graduates will receive a certificate of Technical Expert Level IV , or a Certifi-cate of Competency Class 4 internationally acclaimed.

Djarum Foundation has a program of improving the quality of vocational schools ( SMK ) in Kudus , Central Java since 2012. In this program , we focus on developing multiple expertise options in the field of high-income jobs , such as Information Technology , Engineering, Culinary , and Fashion “ , said Primadi H. Serad as Pro-gram Director of Djarum .

Furthermore , Primadi revealed that nautical field is one of the areas of the main expertise package developed with SMBC . ( bowo )

Djarum Foundation and SMBC Support Nautical School in Kudus


News

PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (TELKOM) establish coop-eration with PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) Indo-nesia Chapter. The cooperation is intended to develop a number of tourist destinations in Cirebon. One of the cooperation is the implementation of e-ticketing system and web commerce in a number of tourist destinations in Cirebon. “This cooperation is related to the development of integrated infrastructure and facilities with ICT basis for tourism industry in the country,” said Director of Telkom Enterprise & Business Service Muhammad Awaluddin.Telkom has also done business transformation towards TIMES ( Telecommunication, Information , Media , Edutainment and Services ) in providing online destina-tion management system solutions such as e-commerce and e-ticketing . This is done to support Indonesian tour-ism becoming the main destination of world tourism. For the initial stage, the web service commerce and e-ticketing will be applied at the Kasepuhan Palace Ci-rebon . Awaluddin said the move was a very interesting thing because it collaborates culture and ICT. “It becomes very important for the preservation of our culture . As we all know that the development of exist-ing information and technology makes the spread of information about a place and a typical culture becomes unlimited, “said Awaluddin. PATA itself is a regional association consists of the pri-vate sector and government serves as a catalyst for the Asia Pacific tourism industry .Kasepuhan Palace Cirebon , the service was inaugu-rated by Gusti Sepuh XIV Cirebon Sultanate Prince Raja Adipati Arief Natadiningrat with PATA Indonesia Chair-man of PATA Indonesia Chapter Purnomo Siswoprasetjo and Corporate Director of Telkom Muhammad Awalu-ddin. Telkom claims to be able to provide online destination management systems solutions such as e - commerce and e - ticketing to support Indonesia becoming the main destination of world tourism. (*)

Telkom and PATA to Develop Tourism in Cirebon

News

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya receives Men’s Obsession Award 2015 in the category “Ministers in 100 Days”

held by Media Group in Kempinsky Hotel

on Thursday (19/3) night. Arief Yahya has successfully won over other candidates like Ignasius Jonan and Susi Pudjiastuti.

The award has motivated Arief Yahya

to give more to Indonesian people in the future. “The award is for colleagues in the Ministry of Tourism as well as for media partners,” said Arief Yahya.

A number of breakthroughs have been performed by Arief in developing tourism in the country like free-visa policy provision to several countries and digital promotional strategy applied efficiently to attract foreign tourists. Easier entry permit acquisition for tourism yacht is also predicted to make Indonesia into marine tourism paradise.

Men’s Obession Award 2015 is dedi-cated to figures or institution and corporate that successfully achieve success in various sectors.

The Award is categorized into four main categories, namely: Best Individual Achiev-ers, Best Regional Achievers, Best SOC Achievers and Best Private Sectors Achiev-ers. Each category is divided again into six sub-categories.

Candidates for Individual Achievers for category of politics are Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, Irman Gusman and Tjahjo Kumolo and is won by Tjahjo Kumolo. Candidates for legislators category are Maruarar Sirait, Nasir Djamil and Zulkifli Hasan. This category is won by Zulkifli Hasan. Chief Executive Officers’ candidates are Elvyn JG Masassya, Gatot M Suwondo and Maryo-no, which is won by Elvyn JG Masassya.

For Leaders of Government Agency / Institution Category, the candidates are Anang Iskandar, Franky Sibarani and Husni Kamil Manik. Husni won that category. The Rising Star Category consists of Arief Wibowo, Dwi Soetjipto and Erick Tohir. It is won by Erick Tohir.

The Award Night was attended by Vice President Jusuf Kalla (JK), Media Group Owner Surya Paloh, Minister of Internal Af-fairs Tjahjo Kumolo, Golkar Party Chairman Agung Laksono, Chairman of the House of Representatives (MPR) Zulkifli Hasan, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Tedjo Edy Purdjiatno, and Chairman of Regional Representative Council (DPD) Irman Gusman.

Arief Yahya, The Best Achiever Minister in 100 Days


18 | Paradiso September, 2014

Photo by Bobo Tandiono

19 | Paradiso November, 2014

20 | Paradiso April, 2015

Togean


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The 60th Anniversary of the Asian-African Conference (AAC) which took place in

Jakarta and Bandung on 19 to 24 April 2015 will be enlivened with a variety of interesting tourist attractions for attracting tourist visit.

This event will be attended not only by head of states of Asian and African countries, but also not less than 500 journalists from Indonesia and abroad.

“The promotional value is quite high if it is calculated in terms on publication value, which can reach more than Rp 1 trillion. This should be used for promoting tourism,” said Tourism Minister, Arief Yahya during the press conference “Side Events of the Anniversary of Asia-Africa Con-ference 2015” in Jakarta on Tuesday (24/3).

Various activities will be held on this occasion, such as the Asian-African Carnival, parliamentary discussion forum, exhibitions and workshops on South-South Triangu-lar Cooperation, Indonesia Heri-tage Exhibition, Exhibition of AAC Documentation Collection, New Asian Youth Conference 2015, the Asia-Africa Business Summit (AABS) , Working Lunch SIDS, as well as Slank Performance.

“Three events, namely tourism promotion, Asia Africa Carnival and New Asia Youth Conference 2015 will take place in Bandung, while other events will take place in Jakarta,” said Arief.

Arief added that there will be 10 official side events held in Bandung, but the unofficial are 50 events. This can be people’s party considering that the number of volunteers has reached 14 thousand people.

“Series of side events’ activities reach the total of 19 activities, which consist of 9 events held in Bandung and 10 events held in Jakarta. Be-

sides AAC’s participants, local people will also want to enliven the side events. So, it can really be a people’s party,” he said.

“Asia Africa Carnival is one of the side events. It is going to be interesting for it will be followed by all member countries. Currently, 1000 participants have confirmed their participation. Two-third of the par-ticipants are from Indonesia. There will also be angklung performance,” Arief said.

Asia Africa Carnival that will be held on April 25 is one of the main events for there are so many partici-pants that will join it. Arief mentioned that there are 20,000 people who will play angklung. City government of Bandung fully supports the side events.

Instagram Bandung Photo Contest is also going to be held and is expected to be followed by around 300 Instagram users with a minimum follower of 10,000 and the themes of nature, architecture/building, and people & culture in accordance to tourist destinations visited by inter-national bloggers during the famtrip activities.

“We will pick photos with the most ‘like’. This is one way to promote tourism through online media by using the events held related to 60th Anniversary of Asian-African Confer-

Dozens Tourism Attractions to Celebrate the 60 Years of AAC


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ence,” he said. Tourism Minister also said that

the event is expected to bring 100 thousand foreign tourists and 2,500 domestic tourists.

Strengthening Asian-African Countries Cooperation

Asian-African Conference (AAC) that took place in Gedung Merdeka, Bandung on 18-24 April 1955 re-sulted in ‘Dasasila Bandung’ or Band-ung Declaration. This moment has become historical record that brings Indonesia’s name internationally and provides memories for Bandung as the host of AAC.

The 60th Anniversary of AAC will be attended by a number of head of states among others are People’s Republic of China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Malaysia and

around 80 delegates of the partici-pating countries. The event is going to be officially opened by President Joko Widodo.

Luhut Panjaitan, Presidential Chief of Staff added, this event is very im-portant because President Sukarno as early initiator was followed by sev-eral other countries historically and I can not imagine Bung Karno who coordinated the conference in 1955 when there were no email or the Internet and communication was still limited to a telegram and attended by 29 countries. It was a remarkable achievement for Indonesia at that time.

“This activity is more than just a celebration, but it is also expected to produce Declaration on Reinvigorat-ing the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership as well as Declaration on Supporting Palestine,” said Luhut.

The 60th Anniversary of AAC will also discuss political issues, econom-ic partnership, and social and cultural relationship. While Declaration on

Reinvigorating the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership will discuss is-sues on terrorism, transnational crim-inal organization, national defense, defense energy, tourism, gender and women empowerment.

“AAC activities will begin on 19 April and retracing steps to Band-ung on April 24. It is expected that there will be 600 – 700 media from Indonesia and abroad covering the activities. Media Center is located in Hall A, in Kimia Farma (Bandung) and television coverage will take place in Braga (Bandung),” said Minister of Communication and Information, Rudiantara. (bowo)



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Commemorating 200 Years of Tambora EruptionWest Nusa Tenggara (NTB)

Province commemorates the 200 Years of Mount

Tamboran eruption. The event takes place in Dompu, Bima regency on April. The peak of the commemoration is on April 11, 2015 and various activities will be held under the theme of “Tambora Menyapa Dunia” (Tambora Greets the World).

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said that the 200th Anniversary of Mount Tambora Eruption should be used to promote tourism in NTB. During the press conference “Tambora Greets the World” in Jakarta on Tuesday (11/3/2015) Arief said that the event will focus on Sumbawa for Lombok is already famous among tourists.

On the same occasion, NTB deputy governor Muhammad Amin said that

throughout this year, there are various supporting events taking place in all regencies in Sum-bawa Island.

Series of events will be held in relation to “Tambora Greets the World” such as art & cultural performance, special-interest and sport adventure tourism, seminar, and social activity, which will be on from March to August 2015.

A number of activities included in sport adventure are Tambora Bike covering the route from Lombok to Dompu as long as 480 km for three days, Mount Tambora Ultra Train Run and Tambora Challenge Trans Sumbawa.

In addition to cycling, there is also 320km running race. If the runners

can successfully complete the distance, then the event will break the world record in Asia Pacific with the duration of 60 hour non-stop running. There is also 42km-marathon and 10km-running race in Dompu.

Other events are horse racing by child jockeys in Bima and Dompu,


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cow-catching attraction using lasso, Trabas Tambora Motorcycle Touring by Indonesian Motorcycle Associa-tion, Tambora Climbing Celebrities Expedition, Tambora Savana Run and Lakey Kite Surf Exhibition Camp at Lakey Beach Huu sub-district, Dompu.

The seminar activity covers seminars and knowledge develop-ment which include an Archeology Seminar in Bima, the Re-launching of La Hami literature along with the Archeology and Museum Exhibition, an Architectural Landscape Seminar on Vulcanology and a photography exhibition.

The social activities include cataract and harelip operations, reforestation of Tambora’s surround-ings, an exhibition of the province’s top products which include Tambora coffee, village markets, and culinary fiesta centered in Dorocanga Village.

The event is not only focused in Tambora area, but also spread to 10 regencies/cities. Series of Tambora Greets the World will be started on 4 – 12 April 2015 and the peak event is on 11 April 2015 that will be attended by President Joko Widodo and Vice President Yusuf Kalla.

Targeting 15 thousand Foreign Tourists

Arief Yahya said that the peak of Tambora Greets the World that takes place on Mount Tambora is pre-dicted to attract 10,000 – 15,000 domestic and foreign tourists.

“Mount Tambora and Rinjani in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) are parts of Wonderful Indonesia and will be promoted to attract foreign tourists so that it can help to reach the tar-get of 10 million foreign tourist visits this year,” Arief said.

Arief said that NTB is main tourist destination set as part of Great Bali. “Around 40% of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia enter through Bali. We try to attract them to continue their trip to NTB and other des-tinations in eastern Indonesia or Beyond Bali,” he said.

Head of NTB Tourism Bureau Mu-hammad Fauzal said that Tambora Greets the World is an attempt to increase tourist visit to the province, which this year set at 2 million tour-ist visits.

“We have prepared tourist facili-ties for this event. For example, we asked people to change the function of their houses into home-stay temporarily,” he said. (bowo)

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Cutie Cats Cafe opened on 12 February 2015 offers cat lovers a place

to play with beautiful tame cats, which cleanliness and health are guaranteed.

Cutie Cats Cafe that is located at The House of Pika Pika 2nd Floor, Jalan Keman I No 12F, South Jakarta offers the concept of cat cafe, which is integrated with the cats as well as time to study the behaviors of cats from different breeds.

In this cafe, customers can play with cat named Candy, an exotic female cat that loves sleeping for it is the oldest cat in the cafe. There are also Karamello (2yo Male Maine Coon), Mr Kenji (6yo Male Persian), Bumble (1 yo Female Local Cat), Lola (5mo Female Himalayan) and many more.

In the cafe, we can also find Mama Cat’s Kitchen, a cafe that serves sweet meals as the main menu such as homemade cakes & cup cakes and refreshing beverages like soft drink, tea and coffee.

“Food served here are only the sweet one in order to avoid serving food containing beef, chicken and especially fish. This is for the comfort of the cats here,”

said owner of Cutie Cats Cafe, Lia Kurtz.

Lia said, “I start the cafe because I love cats, and I also member of CIA (Indonesian Cats Association) Jakarta Branch.”

“Five years ago I found out about this kind of cafe in Japan where I saw customers came out from the cafe in happy feeling. After studying and observing it, I want to open cat cafe and design the interior that is suitable for cats,” she said.

According to Lia, focus of this cafe is like a cinema where people come for watching movie and not for visiting the cafe although there is a cafe in the cinema area.

Moreover, the woman who has 13 year experience in marketing, added, “I’ve studied the best way to manage cat cafe in various countries like Japan, Singapore, Korea, England, Austria and America.”

“I invite CIA, Groovy Vetcare and Purina Fancy (cat food producer) to support the cafe so that it can operates properly,” said mother of two children who com-pleted her master degree in Gajah Mada University, Yogyakarta.

The cafe opens at 10am-9pm everyday for adults and children. It provides various activities such

Are you cat lovers who can’t have it as a pet, but willing to play with it?

Playing with cats is seen as one way to relax and relieve fatigue, especially for those who have busy activities.

Cat Cafe for Cat Lovers


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as cat education and other service with cat’s theme.

The admission to the cafe is IDR 50,000/hour for the first one hour in workday and IDR 75,000/hour for weekends. For the next visit is IDR 35,000/hour.

The price, according to Lia, is quite cheap com-pared to Singapore, which is IDR 120,000/hour to IDR 150,000/hour.

“Children under 12 should be accompanied. There is positive affect for children to have early interaction with pets such as cats,” said Lia who has 30 cats.

However, Cutie Cats Cafe also advises visitors with asthma and allergy to pets to not visit the cafe.

The cafe can only accom-modate 20 people or 5 chil-

dren with the companions. Before entering the cafe,

which has 15 cats, visitors are asked to change shoes with sandals provided and follow the rules such as not feeding the cats with human food, not forcefully lifting the cats or not taking pictures with flash and many more.

“Since its opening, the cafe has been visited by around 100 visitors per day,” said Lia who hopes that her cafe can be gathering venue for cat lovers.

Considering the high num-ber of passengers, Lia advises visitors to make reservation.

“It might be because this is the first and the only cat cafe in Indonesia, so people are very enthusiastic to visit. There are even visitors who pay in advance,” said Lia. (evi)

28 | Paradiso December, 2014

Sumba


Sumba


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33 | Paradiso February, 2015

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34 | Paradiso February, 2015

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A row of beautiful islands floating on water protected by a bay called Tomini. The area is a transitional

zone of Imaginary Line Wallace and Weber that presents the wonders of nature that should not be missed. Be prepared to see more beauties of Celebes and directly see the settlement of Bajoe tribe, the ocean dwellers.

It is Togean Islands, a national park con-sists of two ecosystems, namely 292,000 hectares water area and 70,000 hectares land area. Its isolated location that is far from hustle bustle of life has made Togean interesting destination for people who are interested in nature and sea biodiversity.

We had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Togean some time ago on the initiative and invitation of the local govern-ment of Tojo Una Una Regency. Our par-ticipation in Fam Trip aims to introduce and promote tourism in Tojo Una Una . Some Travel agents from Bali , Makassar and Manado and a number of media partici-pated in the trip that took place on 15 – 20 March 2015. They are I B Purwa Sidemen - Director Executive PHRI Bali, M. Agung Firmansyah - Panorama Tours, Benedik-tus Onor - Asian Trails Tour & Travel, Rudi Sulistyawan - Asia World Indonesia, Ni Nyoman Dewi Antini - Asia Travel Travel & Komodoliveaboard, Cokorda Istri Anom Dewi - Togean Representative in Bali, Igo

Kleden - Editor in Chief of Paradiso Magz, I Made Wirawan - Bali Marine Dive, Ninny Ruata – Safari Tour Manado, and Merry and Nurlin from Makasar.

Togean Islands is cluster of small islands stretch in the middle of Tomini bay. There are around 60 islands there and some of the popular islands are Malenge Island, Una Una, Batudaka, Talatakoh, Waleakodi and Waleabahi Island.

On Togean Islands, we can see mangrove forest and stretch of nambo (seagrass bed), which is also source of food for the sea mammal dugong. Several rare species of turtle can also be found here like green turtle (Chelonia mygas) and scaled turtle (Eretmochelys imbriocata) that make the beach as their breeding place.

The magnificent underwater garden provides divers with amazing view of sea creatures such as pilot whale, giant clam (Tridacna gigas) and Lola snail (Trochus niloticus), manta ray, gray reef shark and bigeye Trevally as well as colorful coral reefs. There four types of coral reefs there, namely barrier reef, patch reef, fringing reef and atoll. There are also 35 species of butterfly fish (Chaetodontidae), which live around the reef. It is also the indicator that the reef there is healthy.

Going deeper into the sea, you can find more underwater biodiversity such as 262 species of coral reef, 596 species of fish

and 555 species of mollusk. Isn’t it amaz-ing?

On the land, we can find protected endemic fauna of Sulawesi like tangkasi (Tarsius sp), kuskus (Ailurops Ursinus), deer (Cervus timorensis), and ketam kenari (Birgus latro). There, we can also see Togean monkey (Macaca togeanus), Togean lizard (Varanus salvator togeanus) and Togean hog deer (Babyrousa babirussa togeanensis) that can only be found in Togean.

Not less than 90 species of birds, some are protected, can be found around Togean Islands such as Julang sulawesi or alo (Rhyticeros cassidix) and bondol eagle (Haliastur indus).

Biodiversity and the beauty of Togean Islands have made it determined as Na-tional Park based on decree of Ministry of Forestry No 418/Menhut-II/2004. ***

Togean, A Divers’ Paradise

TogeanPh

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Kadidiri is one of the most beautiful sea gardens in Sulawesi after Bunaken. The nature of the park is

still well preserved. On this island, there are various fun activities that can be done such as swimming, sailing, diving, fishing, sun-bathing, tropical forest trekking and so forth.

Only about 5 meters from the beach, beauty of Kadadiri Island, which is full of stunning coral reef will spoil your eyes. Even without snorkeling or diving equip-ment, we can clearly see the exoticism of well maintained coral reef under the crustal-clear water. For more remarkable

view, we need to explore the park around Kadadiri Island. Be prepared to see various colors and species of coral reef, fish, shark, turtle and other underwater charms.

Besides Kadadiri Island, other nearby islands also have attractive tourism poten-tials. Don’t forget to bring snorkeling or diving equipment, suncream, underwater camera and food supply when exploring the beauty around this isolated island. One of the most famous diving points is situated in Taipi Island, which is located about 4 kilometers from Kadadiri. This island has remarkable underwater charms and it can be reached by speedboat.

The beauty of marine potentials sup-ported by historical background becomes additional value for a certain tourist destination. Approximately 16 kilometers from Kadadiri Island to the northeast, lies a World War II historical evidence, the ruins of allied bomber – B24. The ruins become the habitat of various coral reef and sea biodiversity. It will be an impressing experi-ence to explore this site.

If you are interested to fish, ask your guide to take you to Kundurang. Besides known of having charming color gradient of seawater, the water clarity presents the charms of coral reef without diving. Kan-durang is famous for its fishing spot.

Una Una Island is the only island in To-gean area that has black sandy beach and stunning diving spots. In addition to marine tourism, on this island we can find an active volcano, Mount Colo (2,509m).

Batudaka Island is the place to visit if you are interested to interact with the locals. The island has mangrove forest with captivating nature’s panorama. It is also the biggest island among 60 islands in the area of Togean National Park. On this island, in Bomba village to be exact, Togean people live. Looking for more unique picture of the ocean dweller? You can visit Siatu Island, where Bajo Tribe lives.

For those who like forest trekking, Kadadiri Island offers lush tropical forest. Forest trekking and bird watching should be your next agenda. ***

The Most Beautiful Sea Garden

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Togean

Participants Of Fam Trip to Togean Islands


Kadadiri Island is one of the main tourist destinations in Togean Islands National Park. It is called a hidden

virgin island with beauty that will refresh your mind and soul.

Administratively, Kadadiri Island is included in the area of Ampana, Tojo Una-Una regency in Central Sulawesi. This secluded island is about 3-6 hour trip by boat from Ampana to Wakai and then another 30 minutes to reach the island. The beauty of the free-pollution island and its exotic charms have made the island the main tourist destination in the area.

With location that is a bit far from the center of people’s activities, Kadadiri Island, which was formerly uninhabited, is less popular compared to other islands in Togean. However, its beauty and charm

have attracted foreign tourists to come and there is even foreigner who has lived on the island for years as a dive master. Tour-ism potentials of Kadadiri Island have also attracted investors to build cottage on the island. There are three cottages that can be choose in accordance to your budget and two of them are managed by foreigner, Kadadiri Paradise and Black Marlin.

Besides the two cottages, there aren’t other accommodations that can be found on the island. There is no source of fresh water on the island as well. Therefore, it is better to buy your needs such as snack, fresh water and cash while you are in Ampana or Wakai. The cottage sells snack, serves three meals a day for guests and rents diving equipment.

When you’re on the island, it is highly possible that you are temporary discon-nected with civilization. It is because in ad-dition to the absence of fresh water, mobile phone signal is also difficult to get. ***

The Beauty of Kadadiri Island

Event & DestinationTogean


Ngada - Flores

Gurusina is another Ngada village where you can get acquainted with all the wealth of Ngada

culture. As it is quite easily accessible by car or motorbike (the road can get bumpy, though), it offers a good alternative to the more popular Bena for visitors who are short in time.

Gurusina’s traditional houses are situated around a wide courtyard, which displays several sets of ture lenggi, the ancestral stone altars. The village was founded in about 1934 by people coming from the highlands. At present, 33 families live in Gurusina, belonging to the three clans of Ago ka’e, Ago Gasi, and Kabi. Conforming to the Ngada adat, each clan owns its own sao pu’u (original or ‘trunk’ house), a sa’o lobo (youngest or ‘tip’ house), a ngadhu, and a bhaga ances-tral shrine. Up to the present day, the staple crops grown by the inhabitants of Gurusina are corn, tubers, coconut, and banana, as well as coffee, cloves, candlenut, and cocoa as popular cash crops. Ikat weaving is an important daily activity for Gurusina women.

As in other communities across Ngada and other parts of Flores, Gurusina’s inhabitants used to be divided into three different castes. The authority of the ruling class, the ga’e, was justified by their descent from Gurusina’s original ancestors. Com-moners were called ga’e kisa. At the bottom of the community stood the so’o – who used to be kind of thralls. In the past, heavy sanctions applied to women who married men of a lower status. Nowadays, the caste of so’o does not exist anymore, and the social borders of the caste system in general are almost dissolved.

A visit to Gurusina can also be combined with a nice medium-impact hike starting from Bena, which leads through beautiful natural surround-ings – including a neat bamboo forest – and passes through the village of Tololela. As it is easy to get lost in the forest, especially after heavy rainfalls that make the small paths hardly vis-ible, it is highly recommended for inex-perienced hikers to do this exploration with a local guide.

There are no tourist facilities in Gurusina. The closest city is Bajawa, where you can find various kinds of ac-commodation, restaurants, and shops. To get to Gurusina, drive 19km from Bajawa to Bena, pass the village, and continue to the junction of Jerebuu-Watumanu. Just keep going straight southwards, and after about 4km on a little bumpy road, you will reach Gurusina. ***

Kampung Adat Gurusina Ngada – Flores

39 | Paradiso September, 2014

Event & Destination


Pasola is etymologically derived from ‘pahola’ (the prefix pa expressing reciprocity, + hola, an unpointed

wooden spear). Thus, pasola means throwing holas (solas) at each other. (The sound ‘h’ is interchangeable with ‘s’, thus pahola means the same as pasola).The pasola is performed by people who ride their stallions at a full gallop on a strip of land, the performers being males representing two blocks or groups whose spearmanship and horsemanship have been put to the test.What is of interest in the game of pasola is that at the end of the games no one group is declared winner or loser.

The objective to be gained from the game of Pasola

* skill in wielding a hole and hitting a target (kenangu lima),

* agility in evading a hit from the oppo-nent (pengupapaheili).

All this means that participants in the game will do his utmost to improve his

skill at throwing the hola and to be agile in evading hits in order that may be called the Star of the Arena by his fans.The pasola is in essence the climax to all the activities that are part and parcel of the pesta ‘nyale’ (Nyale feast). This feast has a historical background. It serves to allay he gloom cast by severance of the marriage of one of their ancestors, as the legend goes.

THE SITE OF THE PASOLA WANO-KAKA

The site of the Pasola Wanokaka is about 17 kilometers to the south of Waikabubak, the capital, on spacious piece of ground at Lahi Hagalang, sub-regency Walakaka. The location is surrounded by hills with old villages on top of them, on a hill slope that is packed with history and remains of the past, well formed in the form of joglo houses with tall roofs This site is justly designated as the arena to test the skill and agility of the brave males of the land of Pa-sola Wanokaka and to entertain those who enjoy the game.The location is accessible

by two-wheel and four-wheel vehicles.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE PASOLA

The legend of the people of Wanokaka in the village of Wai Wuanga goes that in olden days there were three brothers who were their ancestors. They were Ngongu Tau Wuanga, Yogi Waikareri and Ubu Dulla, who told the people of their intention of sailing for the islet of Salura to catch fish. Ubu Dulla, who is the central figure in the legend, lived at Wai Tena, the central part of the village of Wai Wangu. Having waited

PASOLA


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very long for the return of the three broth-ers, the people of Wai Wuangi became restless and panicked.They looked for the three along the seashore, but all their ef-

forts were in vain. At long last they came to the conclusion that their three leaders had died. Ubu Dulla had a wife whose beauty was known far and wide. Feeling low and

dejected, the wife, Rabu Kaba, went to the beach everyday to wait for her husband’s return. One day Rabu Kaba saw a sampan approaching and entering the port of Pa-hiwi. She was filled with bliss, thinking that it was her husband who had at last come back. To her great disappointment, it was not her husband who came ashore but Teba Raya, a man from the village of Tahiku (in the sub-regency of Kodi). Rabu Kaba was filled with consternation and was ashamed, and Teba Raya quickly. By the tenderest of means he managed to steal her heart. In the end a warm love grew between them. The people of Wai Wuangu, however, did not approve of their love, consequently, they decided to elope.Not long after their elopement, Ubu Dulla unexpectedly arrived back at the village with his brothers. Having been informed of his wife s elopement with Teba Raya to Kodi, Ubu Dulla went to Kodi accompanied by his brothers. After a series of negotiations, it was decided that the marriage between Teba Raya and Rabu Kaba should be confirmed according to existing traditional laws.Teba Rava was obliged to repay to Ubu Dulla everything that the latter had paid for his former wife, among others: a number of horses (jara),


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water buffaloes (karabau), one gold piece of mamuli, one Maraga of gold, one Tabelu of gold, one sword (pahori), several spears and machetes, and a bundle of Nyale as a token of the right to catch Nyale and to perform the Pasola at Ubu Dulla’s request.With reference to the right to catch Nyale and the perform the Pasola, Ubu Dulla was required to fulfill certain conditions.On the basis of the legend, the village of Wai Wuangu and the people of Wanokaka ob-serve the Wulla Nyale and hold the Nyale feast every year.

ACTIVITIES IN THE LEAD UP TO THE PASOLA

When the Wulla Nyale arrives, all villag-ers in Wanokaka are obliged to refrain from doing certain things, such as bewailing a dead person, shouting for joy. sounding of gongs, wearing cricket bells. wearing clothes or dresses that catch the eyes.When the full moon comes, a priest (Rato) retires into himself to pray to the gods, in-voking the most favorable time to start the catching of Nyale and the Pasola festivities. Two days prior to the Pasola festivities, on the Wai Tena beach a fish-fight contest (traditional) is staged, which is preluded by narrating of the Rabu Kaba legend. At about 3 o’clock in the morning, a priest initiates the Nyale-welcoming ceremony and procession to the beach where the Pasola is to take place.In the meantime, there are progress reports made by each clan-house on the Pasola preparations, and also prediction of events that will occur during the Pasola.

THE STAGING OF THE PASOLA

Six days after the full moon comes the long-awaited moment signaled by the beat of a drum in the village center which an-nounces to all the villagers that the Pasola will soon start. In the game of Pasola, hun-dreds of braves take part; the participants divide themselves into two camps. the Up-

per village and the lower village camps.Be-fore the Pasola starts, the high priest (Ratu Bakul) says something by way of reminding the participants of the rules of the game, a/o.: both ends of the hola (wooden spear) must be blunt; the hola is to be thrown, not thrust; unhorsed participants (thrown from a horse’s back) must in no way be at-tacked; an attack must be made in groups; defeat should be accepted ungrudgingly (Be a good loser!).The High Priest then withdraws from the arena; two other priests (representing each camp) come forward and throw each other a hola as a signal that the game may begin. In a matter of seconds, choice stallions from both camps swarm the arena, each of the riders picking their preys from among the opposing camp and hurling their holas at them.The ‘battle’ becomes more and more violent when spectators and supporter cheer the fight-ers.If there are many causalities, the High Priest will enter the arena and raise his hola as a signal that the game of Pasola must be ended, then mutters a prayer asking the gods to restore the causalities to a good condition. On the other hand, if there are no (serious) causalities, the pasola may go or, until late afternoon without any breaks.After the pasola, the fighters return to their villages to be welcomed as heroes. ***


Bali

Archipelago International, one of Indonesia’s leading hotel operators, is ready to open

another Quest hotel in Bali this April, this time in the bustling capital of Denpasar.

The Quest brand by Archipelago International aims to combine the value of premium budget hotels with unique and inspiring designs, creative hospitality concepts and state of the art technology for travelers seeking a styl-ish yet unpretentious environment. The upcoming hotel, Quest San Denpasar, will continue this concept of the afford-able lifestyle 3-star hotel brand.

With this in mind, the Quest San Denpasar will be a modern, conve-nient and enjoyable hotel, delightfully furnished throughout the 179 rooms

and suites, which cover 4 different room types. The hotel will also feature a signature restaurant, an outdoor swimming pool as well as a spa and a fitness center. Gearing itself towards business travelers, there will also be 4 meeting rooms and an event-friendly ballroom that can accommodate up to 300 persons.

Located on Jl. Mahendradata in the vicinity of Denpasar’s commercial hub and easily accessible from Kuta and Seminyak, the new Quest will become a popular choice for tourists seeking a central base from which to explore the island. It is also one of the few Bali hotels that focuses on the needs of professionals, conference planners, and business travelers, and thus is well suited for small to medium-sized

corporate gatherings. “We are very excited to be opening

another Quest hotel here in Bali. The city of Denpasar is a perfect location for our premium budget hotel brand, and with the addition of dedicated MICE facilities, we are pleased to also cater to the growing market of business and conference travel.” Said Tenaiya Brookfield, VP Sales & Marketing at Archipelago International. ***

Archipelago International Ready to Open New Quest Hotel in Denpasar, Bali


Bali

Bali Hotels Association (BHA) under the Community Relations with Mrs. Virginie Tutin Sandstrom

as the Director has followed several social activities with the main concerned being on visiting some orphanages and Blood Drive program. In 2014, she was supported by her team at HARRIS Resort Kuta Beach where she is the General Manager, the HARRIS Hotels in Bali, and also other BHA members. They have visited seven orphanages in three different areas, far away from the south of Bali, the orphanages are poor. This is part of the annual linen and sembako drive collected from BHA hotels members. The first visit was held on 29 August 2014 in Klungkung and Bangli area. With a total of 29 boxes donated to Semara Putra with 125 children, Widya Asih IV with 31 children and Dharma Widya Kumara orphanage with 107 children to look after. The second visit was held on 08 November 2014 to Negara area. With a total of 29 boxes donated to Maria Goretti with 56 kids, Giri Asih with 54 kids, Widya Asih II with 83 kids, and Sanatana Dharma with 26 kids.

The Blood Drive program was held successfully with seven times in 2014 in different areas. On 21 February 2014, the first Blood Drive held at Risata Bali Resort & Spa, on 20 March 2014 at Maya Ubud, on 11 April 2014 at 101 Legian Hotel, on 18 June 2014 at Mercure Bali Nusa Dua, on 21 July 2014 at Westin Resort Nusa Dua, on 28 October 2014 at Prama Sanur Beach, on 9 December 2014 at HARRIS Resort Kuta Beach as the host. With a total of 486 participants joining the program and 284 blood bags being collected in 2014.

“In 2015, we are committed to continue those two programs regularly and we are hoping that we will be able to visit more or-phanages and collect more blood bags for Red Cross”, said Virginie Tutin Sandstrom.

“For Blood Drive program, the first semester of 2015 have been confirmed that will be held on 27 February 2015 at Bali Garden Beach Resort, on 08 April 2015 at Grand Nikko, and 22 June 2015 at 101 Legian Hotel. The visiting orphanages program will be done two times this year; we are on progress of collecting the linen and sembako. We do hope the small contri-

butions from the BHA are able to help the less fortunates and build appropriate living condition for the children.” she added. ***

Bali Hotels Association Community Relations


Bali

2015 marks the Silver Jubilee (25th Year of operation) for the Bali Dynasty Resort and there will be

a lot of celebrations and activities to commemorate this important milestone in the history of the Bali Dynasty Resort!

First and foremost, celebrations com-menced on the 3rd of March with a party for all our staff to show appreciation for their contributions and hard work, there was food, entertainment and lucky draw prizes including a motorbike donated by the management.

On the 9th of March a special appre-ciation dinner was held for the Manage-ment Team where the owner recognised and thanked the team for their support and contribution over the years with a commemorative Silver Parker pen en-graved with the Bali Dynasty Resort.

This event was followed by an event to recognise those staff that have achieved 25 years service, 20 years and 15 years service at the Bali Dynasty Resort. 100 employees were recognised for 25 years of service which represents nearly 27%

of the total full time workforce!The Bali Dynasty Resort recognises the

importance of up keeping the hardware of the building to ensure that it is well maintained and refurbished but more importantly recognising that the staff are the biggest asset who ensure each guest is treated as an individual and receive an ef-ficient and personalised service which has lead to many repeat guests returning year after year to visit the staff and the hotel. Over 60% of the Bali Dynasty Resort’s staff have been at the resort now more than 20

years and 72% have been at the Resort longer than 15 years meaning just 28% of the employees have been at the resort less than 15 years which is a great achievement and reflects a happy team which translates into happy guests!

On the 15th of May there will be thank you party celebration; friends and long time supporters of the Bali Dynasty Resort will be invited to join a special event com-memorating the 25th anniversary.

Strategically located in the heart of the South Kuta area, Bali Dynasty Resort has become a home away from home for lei-sure travelers from around the world, only ten minutes’ drive from the airport on the vibrant South Kuta beach strip and located within walking distance of Kuta’s nightlife, Waterbom Park and Discovery Shopping Mall.

The Bali Dynasty Resort is part of Prime Plaza Hotels and Resorts which operates hotels in Java and Bali with 5 hotels in Bali including the Sanur Paradise Plaza Hotel and Suites, Amadea Resort and Villas and PrimeBiz Kuta.***

Dynasty’s 25th Anniversary Celebrations


Bali

Courtyard by Marriott Bali Seminyak offers a destination for families seeking the ultimate holiday

experience right in the heart of Seminyak, from its Kids Club facilities to a delicious Kids menu.

The 287-room hotel provides an extensive Kids Club for kids from 4 to 12 years old to roam around and explore while parents are out and about – with facilities such as comfy Playstation pods, ball pit, to all sorts of arts & crafts. On top of that, the Kids Club also offers a range of daily activi-

ties for the little ones from the classic face painting and Balinese dress ups to kids’ yoga and watermelon crush games.

For those younger than 4 years old and want to join in the fun, a guardian must be present or the Kids Club’s babysitting services will assist on an additional charge. All guests with kids will receive two hour complimentary access to all Kids Club facilities and activities. Kids Club access is priced at IDR150,000 for 5-8 hours and IDR75,000 for 2-5 hours.

After a day of playing around, kids are can hop on up to Seminyak Kitchen and enjoy the restaurant’s delicious kids menu with items such as Yummy Burger, Grilled Cheese on Toast, and the classic Mac and Cheese.

For those seeking a fun filled family vacation, book the resort’s Experience Kids Club Package inclusive of a stay at the Deluxe Room, daily breakfast for two adults and two children at Seminyak Kitchen, complimentary one time 60minute Balinese Massage for two adults at Zanti The Retreat, and unlimited access to Kids Club and all its activities. Package starts at USD225++ per night.

For more information or further book-ings, please contact the resort through [email protected] or +62361 8499 600 ext 1062.

On this April, the experienced culinary team from favehotel Padjajaran Bogor presents the

mouth watering Giant Ribs promotion. Starting at Rp. 168.000 ++ / portion, The Giant ribs are made with special ingredients and seasonings. You could enjoy the ribs with several choices of sauce from Sambal Terasi, Sambal Dabu - Dabu, BBQ, Black Pepper and Mushroom.

“To make this amazing food into perfec-tions, our culinary teams cook the ribs on low setting for 7 - 8 hours. You could

enjoy 2kg’s of Giant Ribs and share with 2 another friend while for 5 kg’s of Giant Ribs you could share it with 8 persons.” Said Ibu Sri Endah as Hotel Manager favehotel Padjajaran Bogor.

Savor a unique dining experience at Lime Restaurant complete with fun, fresh and friendly atmosphere to make your meal more enjoyable. For more info, please contact us at 0251 – 8536100 or we look forward to welcoming you to favehotel Padjajaran Bogor - Jl. Cidangiang No. 1 Bogor. ***

Family Hotspot in the Heart of Seminyak

Amazing Giant Ribs at FAVEHOTEL

Padjajaran Bogor

47 | Paradiso March, 2014

Bali

If you are looking for different sensation of tourist activities in Kuta, Legian and Seminyak

then Pondok Sebatu Villa is a perfect choice. It offers different atmosphere of staying in Bali. The villa is located in the village far from the hustle and bustle of the city. Guests will be presented with the refreshing view of rice field and sound of water flowing on the river near the villa. Your satisfaction is guaranteed with the presence of villa’s staff that committed to give the best service to every guest.

Pondok Sebatu Villa has 1 unit 3-bedroom pool villa, 2 units 2-bedroom pool villa, 9 units 1-bedroom pool villa and 2 units

deluxe room. The facilities include restaurant with 30 seat-capacity, Spa, Yoga deck, Shuttle service and Free bicycle.

The special thing from Pondok Sebatu Villa is that it uses spring water as the supply water. Besides that, the villa also has strategic location. Ubud can be reached within 20 minutes from the villa, Tegalalang rice terrace in 10 minutes, Tampak Siring Palace in 15 minutes, Mount Kawi Temple with its natural spring in about 5 minutes, and Kintamani in 20 minutes. This is the best place to stay if different holiday sensation and new holiday spirit are what you are looking for. Enjoy your stay at Pondok Sebatu Villa. ***

Different Holiday Sensation at Pondok Sebatu Villa, Ubud


Bali

edition may 2015

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