News

No booze in Bali

Catherine Deshayes — 11/06/2009 10:37:00

To many travellers, one of the biggest pleasures of a holiday is enjoying a few drinks in the evening, (and afternoon, and morning) so visitors to Bali will be horrified to hear that the country is facing an alcohol shortage, which tourism chiefs fear may dent the tourist high season which is so crucial to the Bali economy...

The alcohol drought is due to customs officials confiscating thousands of bottles of booze from some of the island's top hotels, restaurants and bars.

But why, I hear you cry? Well, apparently the bottles have counterfeit tax labels meaning they are being illegally sold. Popular tourist areas such as Kuta and Nusa Dua are said to be running low on their supplies of alcohol, and hoteliers and bar owners are concerned that this may deter tourists from visiting Bali.

As the credit crunch has led to many people choosing to have a staycation this year, Brits may well avoid Bali and opt for less riskier destinations closer to home. As everyone knows that the British have a reputation - whether deserved or not - for enjoying their booze on holiday- this latest alcohol shortage could prove the deciding factor when it comes to holidaying in Bali this year.

Perry Markus, Head of the Bali branch of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association, said, "We've asked for this confiscation process to be temporarily suspended because we are running out of stocks."

Ida Bagus Subhiksu, Head of the Bali Tourism Board, believes the raids could damage Bali's international reputation, "We asked the customs office to stop the process and if they have to do something, please continue it later on, after the high season," he added.

This latest alcohol problem isn't the first to hit Bali recently - 26 people, including four foreign tourists, died after drinking local rice wine - called Arak - which had been poisoned with methanol.

Arak has become increasingly popular in Bali since a Government crackdown on imported alcohol forced up the price of spirits and wine.

The case of Queenslander Schapelle Corby almost five years ago - in which a hugely high profile trail followed her conviction for smuggling cannabis into Bali- although she maintains it was put into her bag by airport workers - also deterred a number of Australians from visiting the country.

Picture by svaziphil

And the world's best building is...

Catherine Deshayes — 27/10/2008 12:38:00

The first ever World Building of the Year Award winner has been announced, beating off more than 700 other entries from 63 countries...

You may well wonder what a Spanish rubbish dump, the Royal Danish Yacht Club and a Japanese Dental Clinic have in common.

I'll put you out of your misery- they were all shortlisted for the first ever World Building of the Year Award, which celebrates architectural prowess.

Entries consisted of buildings that were new, restored, rehabilitated or converted and completed between January 1st, 2007 and June 20th, 2008.

Paul Finch, Editor of The Architectural Review and Programme Director of the World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards, said that the most significant building in the world in any given year was not necessarily one of the most high-profile.

"It could be that a primary school in Glasgow or a small church in Peru is actually the building doing most to alter the way we think about the building type," he said.

In the end, Dublin based Grafton Architects' new faculty building at Milan's Luigi Bocconi Free University grabbed gold at the awards in Barcelona.

The University dates back from 1902 and has grown in the past 100 years from a privately funded institution to an international university for business, economics and law.

The campus now comprises an entire neighbourhood within a residential and commercial district.

The winning faculty building contains new conference and lecture rooms, auditorium and research offices for 1000 professors and postgraduate students.

Pic: Bocconi Free University's new faculty building

The 722 entries were split into different categories according to the building's purpose, ranging from learning, civic, culture, shopping, sport and pleasure. The winning building fell into the ‘learning' category.

Each of the categories chose a winner, and then the overall winner was deemed the ‘World's Best Building for 2008.'

The aforementioned Spanish rubbish dump, (which had been transformed into a green terraced agricultural landscape) won the Energy, Waste and Recycling category.

The judging panel, which was headed up by Robert Stern, who replaced Sir Norman Foster at the last minute after one of his designs made it to the final, was looking for ‘architecture that thought about complex issues in an imaginative way.'

The ‘totally 3D' building was chosen as the overall winner as it ‘fitted within the urban landscape but still stood out.'

Mr Stern said, "The use of space, light and local materials captured the essence of the city and the desire of the university to be connected with its surroundings.

"We were impressed by the building's physical and conceptual density," he added.

The new faculty building will have its official opening later this week.

Picture by pontuse

Stop searching! New SEO service is here!

Catherine Deshayes — 27/10/2008 11:19:00

Now is the time to get your website ready for the New Year revival, with TheMoveChannel.com offering an SEO service designed to help you plan and implement the right strategy to attract more buyers when the market bounces...

We all know that things are quiet right now and it's tough to justify dipping into the pockets to spend money.

But once Christmas is out of the way, interest levels will surge - they always do.

The chart above shows search volume trends for property terms over the last three years.

It's clear that the overseas property market is highly seasonal and tails off during the final quarter, with activity jumping sharply as January gets out of the way.

Act Now or Miss Out

Investment returns from SEO are probably the highest of all marketing activities right now - pound for pound, euro for euro, or dollar for dollar, nothing else can deliver you leads as cheaply as ranking number one for a relevant term.

But achieving those results takes an initial investment and results don't happen overnight, so it's no use waiting until the New Year to make sure your SEO strategy is in place.

The Solution

Good SEO companies are hard to find, particularly with knowledge of the property sector.

The SEO service from TheMoveChannel.com is a strategic solution that builds on nearly 10 years of Internet market experience in the international property industry.

Thus, it delivers genuine insight and real long term value.

For a fixed fee of £2950, we will conduct a 5-stage Review plan, which covers the following:

Property Product Review

Website SWOT Analysis

Keyword Universe Creation

Optimal Phrase Selection

Competition Assessment

This would lead to a series of recommendations and an SEO Implementation Plan, which covers:

On Site Recommendations

Link Building Strategies & Tactics

At this point, you can then either commission us to put the plan into action, or implement it internally.

Depending on the scope and extent of work to be done, we work to budgets of £500, £1000, £2000, or £5000 for the initial implementation plan, with the same figures for ongoing work if this is also required.

Call Us Now to Book the Service

If you'd like to take advantage of this offer, please call TheMoveChannel.com on +44 (0)207 952 7658 or contact Marketing Manager Jon Moore on j.moore@themovechannel.com

Indonesia lures foreign investors with tax holidays

admin — 19/08/2011 07:08:00

Sectors including base metals, oil refining, petrochemicals and renewable energy will qualify for the exemption, providing companies invest at least £71 million.

The tax holiday will exempt investors from paying taxes for between five and ten years from the moment the business starts operating.

Exemptions will also be offered retrospectively to businesses yet to make a profit and established up to a year before the announcement.

It is hoped that the tax holiday will support the manufacturing and infrastructure projects that feature as part of the government’s Masterplan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Economic Development of Indonesia, announced by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

Inflation deflating Indonesian property price boom

admin — 26/07/2011 05:59:00

Indonesia’s housing market remains weak, despite strong economic growth and high levels of investment. Some of the major factors that have hampered the growth of Indonesia’s housing market are:

High mortgage interest rates
Foreign ownership restrictions
High costs of building materials
High tax rates
Red tape in government

During the year to end-Q1 2011, residential property prices rose by 4.48%, according to the latest Bank Indonesia Residential Property Survey. But when adjusted for inflation, house prices actually dropped by 2.2% over the same period.

Small-type houses, measuring 36 square meters and below, experienced the most notable price increases of 5.2% (-1.5% in real terms ) year-on-year to Q1 2011. On the other hand, medium-type houses, measuring between 36 square meters and 70 square meters, had the smallest increase of 3.9% (-2.8% in real terms) over the same period. Large-type houses, measuring more than 70 square meters, saw average price increases of 4.4% (-2.3% in real terms) over the same period.

Source: NUWireInvestor.com

Asia's tourism industry buoyed by online bookings

admin — 14/04/2011 09:36:00

Asia's continued growth as a tourism destination and as a tourism source were among the main talking points at the region's largest travel industry gathering which wrapped up Tuesday in Beijing.

The Pacific Asia Travel Association's four-day 60th Anniversary and Conference attracted more than 1,000 industry leaders for a series of seminars and celebrations, and the news they heard was good.

PATA released a survey into the global online travel market - seen by the industry as the way of the future for bookings - and it found that while Asian consumers might have constituted only 26 percent of the market last year (compared to 36 percent from Europe and 27 percent from North America), more than 50 percent of that number were aged under 34.

With the Asia Pacific region accounting now for 41 percent of total global internet users, PATA claimed this indicated that the Asian consumers would soon dominate the online market.

Source: Relaxnews/The Independent

Bali vows to tackle waste problem

admin — 08/04/2011 04:07:00

Under the headline "Holidays in Hell: Bali's Ongoing Woes", Time magazine said the resort island was struggling with waste and some of its famous beaches were strewn with rubbish.

"We are not closing our eyes. It's true that we have a waste problem," Bali tourism agency head Ida Bagus Subhiksu said.

Subhiksu said up to 300 garbage trucks a day were needed to collect rubbish in the Kuta area, a prime tourist spot.

"In Kuta, there will be more garbage trucks designated for the area as extra funding for waste management there has been approved," he said.

Source: Relax.com

Southeast Asia considers EU-style single visa

admin — 18/03/2011 12:29:00

Travellers could soon be able surf in Bali, shop in Singapore and eat spicy street food in Thailand before crossing into Cambodia and cruising the Mekong in Vietnam - all on a single tourist visa.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is working on a plan that would open the region to foreign tourists in the same way Europe's unified visa system has streamlined travel. "You would just have to apply for one visa and you could then visit all the countries using that visa," said Eddy Krisneidi, an official at the Jakarta-based ASEAN Secretariat, which recently released its Tourism Strategic Plan for the next five years.

With attractions ranging from jungle-covered temples at Angkor Wat in Cambodia to five-star beach resorts in Bali, Southeast Asia is a region that tempts travellers from all walks of life. ASEAN countries recorded more than 65 million foreign visitor arrivals in 2009. Malaysia led the field, followed by Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Brunei.

Analysts say visitor numbers could be boosted by slashing the time-consuming and confusing visa requirements for each of ASEAN's 10 countries, which range from vibrant developing democracies to isolated, military-dominated Myanmar.

Source: The Independent

Denge fever hits Bali

Catherine Deshayes — 06/07/2010 07:12:00

Travellers are being cautioned over visiting Bali amid a worrying outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus dengue fever...

The WA Health Department has warned the number of those suffering from the disease has topped 150 so far this year, up from a total of 16 in 2006.

Symptoms include fever, severe headache, aching joints and muscles, pain behind the eyes, nausea, vomiting and a rash and usually occur within three to 14 days of being bitten.

Director of Communicable Disease Control Dr Paul Armstrong said that while most people recovered completely from the illness, there was a risk of developing a rare but potentially fatal form of the disease.

He said the mosquito that transmits dengue fever commonly bites during the day and in shady, indoor venues.

To avoid being bitten, travellers should:

Ensure accommodation is mosquito-proof. Use mosquito nets, flying insect spray, mosquito coils or plug-in insecticide mats in rooms;

Wear long, loose-fitting, light-coloured protective clothing;

Use personal repellents containing diethyl toluamide (DEET) or picaridin. The most effective and long-lasting formulations are lotions or gels. Some natural or organic repellents may provide lesser protection, and

Ensure infants and children sleeping or playing indoors during the day are adequately protected. Only infant-strength repellents should be used on children.

Dr Armstrong said gastroenteritis was also very common in travellers and could be caused by a range of bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Nearly one third of salmonella infections notified in WA so far this year were acquired overseas, mostly in Bali.

"Travellers to developing countries need to be very careful with the food they eat and the water they drink," he said.

"To reduce the risk of gastroenteritis people should avoid eating salads, raw or runny eggs and fruit that is eaten with the skin on."

Sexually transmissible infections, such as gonorrhoea, chlamydia and HIV, are also considered a high risk in those travelling in Asian countries.

Travellers to Bali were also being warned about the serious risk of rabies. About 60 Balinese have died from rabies in the past two years after animal bites, mostly from dogs.

Many of these bites have been sustained in the southern areas of Bali which are popular with tourists.

Rabies is fatal once symptoms develop.

Dr Armstrong said that any mammal in Bali, including dogs, cats, bats and monkeys, should be considered a potential source of rabies infection.

Risky exposures include bites and scratches.

Travellers bitten or scratched by an animal should urgently seek medical attention, and will usually need to complete a course of post-exposure vaccinations.

For further information and travel advice visit the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's travel website: http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/

Source: watoday.com.au

Adventure and recovery in Aceh

Catherine Deshayes — 04/05/2010 09:37:00

It's still in its fledgling stage but tourism in Aceh, the Indonesian province devastated by the 2004 tsunami, is growing...

The province's government is firmly committed to ecotourism, with governor Irwandi Yusuf saying that if his province is to prosper in the long term it must safeguard its natural assets, particularly the inland forests and marine reserves.

To that end, various bodies, including Indonesia's tourism department and the United Nations Development Program, have launched a campaign to let the world know of Aceh's assets and its new tourism initiatives, most of which revolve around adventure tourism.

For example, the village of Mane in the Pidie district has developed white-water rafting trips and elephant trekking, both of which are providing jobs and income for the local community.

And as strange as it seems, there is also a place for what is described as tsunami tourism.

Lisa Heederik, a Dutch-born aid worker who came to Aceh to work on the reconstruction effort three years ago and who has established Aceh Adventure, a hiking and biking tour company, says travellers are keen to learn about what happened on Boxing Day in 2004.

''The thing is that Banda Aceh is unrecognisable from those early days,'' she says. ''You actually have to look carefully to find traces of the tsunami, so well it has recovered.''

See www.aceh-adventure.org and www.visitaceh.com.

Bali beachboys rounded up

Catherine Deshayes — 30/04/2010 09:39:00

Indonesia has detained 28 "beach boys" accused of selling sex to female tourists on Bali after a documentary on the resort's "gigolos" hit the Internet, an official said today...

The round-up of Bali's so-called "cowboys" began as tourism officials fretted over the impact of the film on the holiday island's image as a family destination.

"We've rounded up 28 men we suspect might be gigolos. They're young, fit-looking and tanned, mostly surfer beach boys," I Gusti Ngurah Tresna, the chief of security on Bali's main Kuta beach, said.

"We're still questioning them. If we have good reason to suspect they may be involved in shady activities we'll hand them over to the police," he said, adding that the raids were ongoing.

The documentary, Cowboys in Paradise by Singapore-based writer and director Amit Virmani, was released at a film festival in South Korea last week.

Segments of the film, which contains candid interviews with "beach boys" and the foreign women who fall for them, have gone viral on the Internet after appearing on YouTube.

Bali Tourism Board chief Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya said the "cowboys" had been fixtures on Bali's tourist beaches for some time but had not attracted much attention until now.

"The film is over the top and only focuses on this group of people on the beach, but that's not what Bali is about. If the film is shown to the world, Bali's image will be tarnished," he said.

"I hope the authorities will get rid of these cowboys because they're of no benefit to us."

Tresna said the documentary ran counter to the authorities' preferred image of Bali as a world-class destination combining unique Hindu culture and history with famous beaches and surfing spots.

"All this while we've been selling our beautiful waves, sunsets, turtles, culture and nature conservation, and suddenly now we're seen to be selling gigolos? Such films are really harmful to our image," he said.

The beach police chief could not explain what charges the "beach boys" could face and admitted it would be hard to prove they were selling sex.

"We're always on the beach so we can guess which beach boy may be taking advantage of foreign women," he said.

Similar arrests had been made in the past but the suspects had been released "with a stern warning", he added.

"They will approach foreign female tourists, especially Japanese, on the beach, befriend them and the women will pay for their company and food during their stay here. Sex may be involved.

"It's like prostitution which is hard to prove because the foreign women may be willing partners, too."

Filmmaker Virmani told the twitchfilm.net website that the men "have no reason to be ashamed and they know it".

"They're proud of their 'conquests', of being desired by so many. They're always game for a little kiss'n'tell once they know you," he said.

He said they were part of a "male sex trade" on Bali but could not be considered male prostitutes in the usual sense.

"They've blurred the lines that might invite shame or discourage women from being with them. They do without the cold transactional elements, for example," he said.

"A lot of people scoff at the need to distinguish between cowboys and gigolos, but I see the distinction. It's a very fine line, but it's there.

"The cowboys are the most visible face of Bali's male sex trade but they're not sex workers. How's that for a blurry line?"

Source: AFP

Is improved Garuda safe?

Catherine Deshayes — 04/02/2010 11:23:00

Indonesia's Garuda yesterday vowed to rigorously enforce safety measures as part of efforts to revitalise the struggling airline ahead of a planned public listing this year...

Company president and chief executive Emirsyah Satar said the flag carrier had been strictly complying with international standards since being taken off a European Union aviation blacklist after more than two years.

Company president and chief executive Emirsyah Satar said the flag carrier, dogged by a poor safety record, has been strictly complying with standards set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

"We've been very serious and we don't compromise on this," he said on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow.

"There's always scepticism, so what we do is we have to promote and continue to tell the public about what we're doing. Perception and reality are not always the same."

He also said the airline was "continuously training" its personnel, including pilots and mechanics, with the help of foreign experts.

The EU put flag-carrier and a number of other Indonesian airlines on the blacklist following a string of fatal accidents, including the March 2007 crash-landing of a Garuda Boeing 737 that killed 21 people.

However, Brussels lifted the ban on Garuda and three other firms in July last year, saying "significant improvements" had been put in place by Indonesia's civil aviation authorities.

Following its removal from the blacklist, Garuda announced an aggressive expansion plan running through to 2014, including boosting its fleet and listing on the Indonesian stock exchange.

And in a news conference at the Singapore Airshow on Wednesday, Satar said Garuda will take delivery of 23 Boeing 737-800s and one A330-200s this year as part of its expansion.

The planes will feature a new interior, with individual touch-screen LCD screens in Economy and Business Class for inflight entertainment.

"We're planning to add 10 domestic routes this year, increase frequencies on regional services including Singapore and Hong Kong," Satar said.

Garuda also plans to fly to Los Angeles and launch direct flights from Jakarta to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, London and Rome this year.

The airline plans to nearly double its current fleet of 67 aircraft to 116 by 2014, and by mid-year list on the Jakarta stock market to raise $US300 million ($A340 million), Satar said.

Garuda, which made a net profit of one trillion rupiah ($A127 million) last year, is also planning to establish its own buget carrier to compete in the low-cost market, he said.

Source: AFP

Travel warnings for Bali

Catherine Deshayes — 01/10/2009 09:57:00

Holidaymakers are being advised to have rabies vaccinations before travelling to Bali following the deaths of three people from dog bites on the island in the past month...

The areas affected include Tabanan, Denpasar and the Badung Regency, which includes the popular destinations of Kuta, Legian and Seminyak.

In December 2008, local officials reported an outbreak of rabies in Bali following a small number of deaths in the village of Ungasan in Uluwatu district.

The presence of rabies was also confirmed in the Kuta and Pecatu village, near Nusa Dur this year.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported seven suspected fatal human rabies cases since November 2008.

Rabies is endemic to much of Indonesia but, previous to this outbreak, Bali was rabies-free. Frequent traffic of boats between the Indonesian islands is believed to be the most likely cause of the spread of rabies, according the National Travel Health Network and Centre.

The disease is currently thought to be contained in southern Bali but it has the potential to spread to the rest of the island.

Bali's Sanglah Hospital has set-up a special treatment area for suspected rabies victims but local hospitals are said to have exhausted their stocks of the post-exposure rabies vaccine.

Tourists are being advised to avoid contact with dogs, cat, monkeys and other animals. Bali has received 80,000 doses of animal rabies vaccine from Jakarta and a mass inoculation of dogs is being carried out on the island, while stray dogs are being culled.

Rabies is transmitted by saliva from an infected animal, via a bite or a lick to an open wound. Human rabies is nearly always fatal.

Travellers are advised to have a pre-exposure vaccination and to avoid contact with any wild or domestic animals once on the island. Any animal bite must be thoroughly cleaned and the victim should seek urgent medical treatment

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Terrorist site: top attraction

Catherine Deshayes — 21/09/2009 10:16:00

The house where terrorist mastermind Noordin Mohammed Top was killed during an Indonesian police raid has become a tourist attraction...

Thousands of people have flocked to the badly damaged house in the village of Kepuh Sari, in Central Java, to see where the region's most wanted terrorist met his end.

Noordin, a Malaysian-born militant behind a string of deadly bombings in Indonesia, was one of four people killed in a police raid on the hideout on Thursday.

Tourists have reportedly come from as far away as Sumatra to see the house.

"We missed the shootout but we can still sense the mood," Eko Purwanto, who came with his family from the Sumatran province of Lampung, told the Jakarta Globe daily.

Enterprising locals have taken advantage of people's interest by setting up food and beverage stalls in the area.

Indonesian police chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri said he was certain the body pulled from the house was Noordin's after DNA tests backed up earlier fingerprint analysis.

"We were already a 100 per cent sure with the fingerprints," he said.

"Now there are no doubts."

Noordin's death brought to an end a seven-year manhunt for the 41-year-old, who led a hardline splinter group of terror organisation Jemaah Islamiah.

He was the suspected mastermind of July's attacks on the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta that killed seven people, including three Australians.

Authorities allege he also masterminded a 2003 attack on the Marriott, a 2004 attack on Australia's embassy in Jakarta and the 2005 Bali bombings.

He has also been implicated in the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

Source: www.theage.com.au

Man behind the mask

Catherine Deshayes — 01/07/2009 10:10:00

Indonesia is planning to ask all people arriving from swine flu-affected countries to wear face masks for at least three days, the Health Minister has said...

The presence of the A(H1N1) virus was confirmed in Indonesia only last week and so far four of the eight known cases have been foreigners.

"Visitors from infected countries should wear masks. It's a precautionary measure we're taking to avoid human-to-human transmission of the virus," Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said.

"We'll give them the masks when they arrive at the airports and tell them to wear them for three days."

But the minister said the Government had no intention of enforcing the precaution, which could do serious damage to the country's stuttering tourism industry.

"There'll be no penalty if people don't wear them. You can't expect people to wear masks when they're swimming," Supari said, adding the masks would be handed out to visitors as soon as possible depending on funding.

She made the announcement after a ministerial meeting to discuss the swine flu outbreak in Indonesia.

Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie chaired the meeting and said funds would be allocated to pay for the masks, Antara news agency reported. Transportation Minister Jusman Sjafii Djamal also attended.

Supari said last week she was particularly worried about Australian tourists who flock to the famous surf beaches of Bali island. More than 300,000 Australian holiday-makers visited the island last year.

Australia is the Asia-Pacific country worst-hit by swine flu with almost 4,000 cases.

Indonesia has been the country hit hardest by avian influenza with 115 deaths since 2005.

Source: www.theage.com.au

Bali hotels slash rates to attract tourists

Catherine Deshayes — 04/03/2009 08:23:00

Hotels in Bali are slashing room rates amid falling occupancies as the global economic downturn takes its toll on the tourism-dependent economy...

Total foreign arrivals hit a record 1.97 million last year as the island recovered from the impact of the 2005 terrorist attack. The second biggest market behind Japan, Australia accounted for more than 300,000 visitors, up 51 per cent from 2007.

However, the recovery is expected to be disrupted amid the international credit crunch, with the Bali Tourism Authority estimating foreign visitor numbers will drop 8.6 per cent to 1.8 million this year.

Hotels are scrambling to fill rooms. Budget and mid-range properties popular with Australians are offering the steepest discounts, with some halving published rates, while upmarket resorts hit by a slowing in the executive market are trying to be more creative in their response to the downturn.

"Some two- and three-star hotels are panicking and cutting their rack rates," said Bali Hotels Association Executive Director Djinaldi Gosana.

"That's a bad idea. We know from experience after the Bali bombings that once we cut the rate, it's very difficult to put up again."

The three-star Melasti Beach Hotel in Legian is offering its standard room at £20 net per night, down from £44 and is throwing in breakfast for free, while the four-star Dynasty Hotel in Tuban has cut its standard rate to £36 from £66.

The price war is prompting a rethink from many Australians who would otherwise be reluctant to travel in the current economic climate.

"I know a lot of people who have cancelled European trips and are instead coming to Bali," said Fiona Healy from Melbourne, who spent two weeks on the island.

Meanwhile, although top-end hotels are sharing the pain, they are more reluctant to reduce rates, Djinaldi said.

Instead, they are offering bonus nights, meals or spa treatments to wealthy guests who are reining in lavish lifestyles.

"We are not dropping our rates," said Amanresorts Indonesia area manager Monty Brown.

"However, we recently took a decision to maintain our 2008 rates throughout 2009 rather than introduce a planned increase."

Some hotels such as The Bale in Nusa Dua were quick to increase rates at the height of peak season last year before tourist numbers started dropping.

Now, they are loathe to bring them back down. The Bale's General Manager Jose Luis Calle said he believed bookings would pick up in the next few months. He is holding prices steady despite a 20 to 30 per cent drop in occupancy this month from a year ago.

"We just put our room rates up by 10 per cent last August to September following a refurbishment and we are maintaining those, but with added values from bonus room nights and meals depending on the market, which makes the rate pretty much the same as before the hike," he said.

"We are offering more value for money because people are thinking twice about going on holiday now. This time it's not just a Bali issue, it's global."

This sentiment is echoed by The Legian, whose top villa carries a £1367 per night price tag in the fashionable seaside resort of Seminyak.

The hotel is experiencing a 10 to15 per cent dip in occupancy, Sales and Marketing Director Samuel Gacos said.

"Our focus is not rate adjustment but rather extending more value to our offers," he said, adding "There's a shift in travel patterns generally. The frequency of travel is reduced, the average length of stay is shorter, and bookings are made last minute".

Source: www.theage.com.au

Global phenomenon

Catherine Deshayes — 11/11/2008 10:45:00

Worsening economic conditions have now taken a toll on almost every commercial property market in the world, according to a global survey of real estate surveyors...

The past few months have seen a sharp deterioration in performance and demand for real estate in many regions that had previously appeared resilient to the credit crisis, in particular parts of Asia and Eastern Europe.

The slump in commercial property is well established in mature markets such as the UK and US, but a report today from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors shows that there are few property markets in the world that remain unscathed by the economic crisis.

The net balance of movements in global rents turned negative for the first time in the survey's history, led by weakness in the US, Japan, Spain, Ireland and India, while property values also worsened markedly in the third quarter.

The report, which measured sentiment among surveyors about the value and tenant demand for property, singles out the Indian market as being particularly hard hit. The region has attracted many overseas investors hoping to tap into the property needs of a previously booming economy.

Rising interest rates, higher inflation and a lack of liquidity is affecting confidence in the country, says the report, and 45 per cent more surveyors reported a fall in occupier demand compared with six per cent in the last quarter. The balance of surveyors reporting investor purchases plummeted from zero to minus 73.

The biggest slump in capital values has been in Eastern Europe, a marked turnaround considering expectations of growth only three months ago.

Source: The Financial Times

New property sites launched

Catherine Deshayes — 10/10/2008 09:49:00

TheMoveChannel.com, the leading international property portal, announces the launch of over 80 country specific property sites...

Each country site features in depth property listings that can be filtered by a multi criteria search engine. The investment opportunities listed include both residential and commercial properties, land and more unique property types.

Developers, estate agents and private owners who advertise with TheMovechannel.com will double their exposure by appearing on both the main TheMovechannel.com international property portal and the relevant country portal that their properties are located in. Advertisers however will not be charged any fee for this additional coverage.

Buyers can gain a valuable insight into countries through the dedicated country news, features, email newsletters plus online buying and selling guides.

Dan Johnson, Managing Director, comments, "We've recognised in the toughening real estate market, investors are adopting a more sophisticated and informed buying process.

"The new portals not only provide detailed information on the property stock available in a particular country but also fill in the gaps in investors' knowledge of a market through reference materials and frequent news updates," added Mr Johnson.

Source: www.themovechannel.com

British building in Indonesia

Catherine Deshayes — 20/08/2008 12:35:00

Design plans for the new British Embassy in Jakarta have been finalised by The Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Designed by HOK, the global architecture firm, the new British Embassy, at just over 40,000 square foot, is due for completion in 2011.

Set on a 3.7 acre site, the building will wrap around a central courtyard.

HOK's Project Director Andrew Barraclough, said, "This has been a challenging project, balancing the climate, security and solidity with environmental concerns."

BREEAM, which is the world's most widely used means of reviewing the environmental performance of buildings and is regarded as the measure of best practice in environmental design and management, has assessed the new embassy plans as excellent.