New agro-tourism village in Karangasem

The Bali provincial administration is currently developing an agro-tourism village project in Besakih, Karangasem regency, 75 kilometers east of Denpasar.

The project, overseen by the provincial agricultural agency, is scheduled to be completed within the next five years.

It covers a 200 hectare plot of land belonging to the Besakih community.

Head of the agriculture office, Wayan Badra Wisnaya, told reporters on Friday that since 2008, local farmers have grown 4,000 orange trees and 5,000 durian (durio zibethinus murr) trees on their lands.

"The office provided seeds for trees to the crop and horticultural office, valued at Rp 150 million," said Winaya.

Bali yet to lure tourists leaving Thailand

Bali has failed to attract foreign tourists leaving Thailand's political problems, said an official at Ngurah Rai International Arport.

Dimyati, assistant public relations manager of state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I, said there had been no increase in flights from Thailand to Bali.

"Everything is normal. We have regular flights to Bangkok by Thai Airways and Air Asia," Dimyati said.

Anti-government protesters managed to force their way into the venue of the East Asian Summit at a hotel in Pattaya, Thailand, on Sunday.

Many foreign leaders were trapped in the hotel and had to be evacuated on board helicopters to U Tapao military airbase.

Bali Traveling

Bali becomes hotspot as Aussies seek value for money

Indonesia is becoming a new hot spot for Australian tourists, with the numbers travelling there rising 24 per cent in a year to record levels.

The Bureau of Statistics reported that overseas travel had shrunk 2 per cent since its peak in August. Yet travel to Indonesia has jumped almost 20 per cent, overtaking the United States, Britain and Thailand to become Australians' second most popular destination, behind New Zealand.

The Philippines, New Zealand and the Pacific islands are also becoming more popular as destinations for budget-conscious travellers.

Bali is back, for all seasons

We'd walked down there the previous evening, strolling along the sand on dusk and taking a table at the Menega Cafe, the same place that had been targeted by terrorist bombers only a few years before.

The restaurant was crowded with tourists that night – Italians, French, Germans, Britons and Australians – the relaxed, holiday ambience proof that, while some travellers may have succumbed to fear, most refused to bow to terror and continued to travel.

"You'd never know that this had been the site of one of the attacks, would you?" I said to my partner, savouring the chill of the Bintang beer as the first mouthful hit my palate.