Club Med promotes its Club Med Bali resort through concept of ‘All Inclusive Holidays’

Club Méditerranée (commonly known as Club Med), a French corporation of vacation resorts which has about 80 resorts worldwide, recently renovated one of its oldest resort (outside France)- Club Med Bali after investing in a makeover worth Euro five million. Club Med Bali was closed on September 1, 2008 for renovation and has opened its doors again this month. Olivier Horps, Vice-President-Marketing, Asia Pacific, Club Med told TravelBiz Monitor, “Club Med is promoting its resort in Bali through the concept of ‘All Inclusive Holidays’ post its renovation which gives it a touch of modern design and Balinese architecture.

By ‘All Inclusive Holidays’ we mean, our guests can enjoy a hassle-free holiday as everything is taken care of- from a host of fun activities to food, drinks and snacks and childcare services at no additional cost. It caters to the needs and requirements of all the segments from individuals to families and groups to honeymooners.”

Tucked away in Indonesia’s West Nusa Tenggara

Frolicking on the beach of a small secluded island might be the holiday dream of most work-drenched men and women.

Away from the noisy, clogged and polluted city streets, one can warm their tired feet on sun-baked sand, swim above coral reefs and laze in a bale bengong (stilted open-air wooden hut) with a good book while feeling the delicious sea breeze against their skin. Looking up, instead of a hazy gray sky, one can see the blue of the sky during the day or the twinkling stars at night.
It is definitely my kind of holiday.

So, when I had the chance to escape the capital, I grabbed it and without hesitation I headed to Lombok’s Gili Meno.

Bali Airport to Be Renovated

Expansion work at the Ngurah Rai Airport on Bali Island, Indonesia’s prime tourist destination, will begin in April, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said on Saturday.

Kalla said that the reconstruction project would include an expansion for the domestic terminal and the opening of better road access to and from the airport area.

“The project will cost Rp 1.2 trillion [$110.4 million],” Kalla said.

Kalla spent New Year’s Eve with his family in Bali and inspected the international airport before returning to Jakarta on Saturday.

Bambang Darwanto, head of airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I, said the expansion was part of an effort to accommodate the increasing number of people traveling to Bali.

Indonesia and Bali still seeing booming tourist trade

Despite global gloom, Indonesia’s tourist arrivals are still seeing very healthy growth, particular in relation to Bali, and now the country is predicting tourist numbers will grow by 25% in 2009.

For the ten months to October end, international arrivals hit 5.1 million, lifting some 13% on top of 2007 figures, of this figure some one million travellers travelled to Indonesia with intentions to visit Bali.

Looking to 2009, Indonesia is confident that it can repeat the success of 2008 again.

The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism is predicting eight million international arrivals, or a 25% increase on this year’s figures, which is expected to sit at around 6.4 million.

There seem to be an increasing number of hot spots

Australians were advised to reconsider travel to Indonesia because of the execution of the Bali bombers on November 9, while many people were stranded in Bangkok or had to cancel planned holidays after anti-government protesters blockaded the city's airports later that month.

In Mumbai, Australians were among those killed and injured when terrorists targeted, among other sites, two luxury hotels and the main railway station.

At the time of writing, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website, smarttraveller.gov.au, was advising against travel to eight countries, including Iraq, and suggesting Australians "reconsider" travel to a further 18, including India, Thailand and Indonesia.