Bali again named Asia's favorite holiday destination

Antara, Jakarta

Last Saturday's bomb explosions in Kuta, Bali did not stop TIME Asia magazine from again naming the island resort as "The Favorite Holidays Destination in Asia".

"I earlier assumed that the conferring of the award would be canceled by TIME, following the Bali bombing. Quite the contrary, however, we have been accorded deep sympathy by various quarters," Setyanto P Santosa, head of the Culture and Tourism Development Board, said here on Friday.

Setyanto explained that TIME did not come to the decision to confer the award to Bali on whims.

He said the honor was concluded by a survey of TIME Asia magazine readers in 13 countries.

"The Favorite Holidays Destination in Asia" award was handed over to the Indonesian government, represented by Setyanto, in a ceremony in Singapore on Thursday.

Upon his return to Jakarta on Friday, Setyanto said the award was received at an opportune time when the Indonesian tourism community is facing an ordeal, following the bombing incident in Bali which claimed 184 lives.

"We (Indonesians) should be proud of Bali, which has obviously gone international," he said.

Setyanto noted that the conferring of the award is an objective proof of Bali being a worthy holiday destination.

Before the tragedy, Bali was visited by 50,000 to 70,000 foreign tourists every week.

Since 1998, he said, the number of tourists visiting Bali has been relatively stable.

In 2000, Bali chalked up a 4.56 percent growth in tourist arrivals, while the figure for the first half of 2001 was 5.6 percent.

On the average, foreign tourists' length of stay in Bali was 12 days, way above Indonesia's national average of 4.8 days, with daily spending of US$125 to $150 by each tourist.