Terrorists score no “goals” in Indonesia
Posted August 7, 2009 , add a comment- Indonesia's tourism feels the impact of Jakarta bombings
- Minister of Culture and Tourism reassures the industry in the wake of Jakarta bombings
- All 16 people aboard crashed plane dead
- “Real” Jakarta slum tourism
- Normality comes back to Jakarta after hotel bombings
- “Quantum Leap” planned for post-EU ban Garuda
- UNWTO: Amazing tourism growth recorded in Indonesia
- Is it time to rethink Bali's response to H1N1?
By
balidiscovery.com |
Aug 07, 2009
The bombing attack on two leading Jakarta hotels on July 17, 2009, also resulted in the cancellation of a friendly exhibition match between the world-renowned Manchester United and a team of Indonesian All-Stars. That cancellation surely pleased the suicidal “kill-joys” behind the heinous attacks in Jakarta, who view any form of enjoyment and international fellowship as offensive to their twisted interpretation of one of the world’s great religions. Equally certain, however, is that the cancellation disappointed tens of thousands of maniacal “MU” Indonesian fans prepared to descend on Jakarta’s main stadium to see their favorite soccer stars in action.
Those who live in Indonesia know the small cells who kill and maim in the name of religion, are isolated from the mainstream of Indonesian society that embrace a religion whose very name means “peace.”
Budi Bermain Bola
In these dark days following the Jakarta bombings, solace and consolation can suddenly present itself in unusual places. In this instance, a soothing balm emanated from the world of sports - a place where achievement and excellence make a mockery of the fear and loathing which forms the mainstay of fanatical terrorism.
This story of human redemption begins in the weeks leading up to the scheduled MU match in Jakarta when a good-humored television campaign promoting the sporting event was featured regularly on national TV. In those advertisements a group of MU stars sat in a classrooms receiving a tutorial in Bahasa Indonesia - the lingua franca of the Indonesian people. Taught by a comely Indonesian lady teacher, the soccer champs were drilled in how to say “Budi main bola” which, roughly translated, means “Budi plays soccer.”
Within days of the tragic Jakarta bombings and the cancellation of the MU Match, billboards suddenly appeared across Indonesia, including downtown Jakarta and in Bali, with a message that was certain to raise a smile on the troubled faces of Indonesians humiliated and deeply troubled by the recent senseless brutality of a few of their fellow countrymen. That billboard, shown here, carries the simple message of “Budi, teruslah bermain bola” presented against a solid black background.
Freely translated as “Budi, keep on playing soccer”, the billboards simply and beautifully capture the quiet resolve and determination of the Indonesian nation to carry on and live their lives as a people of equal standing in a world community dedicated to international cooperation, freedom of religion and political democracy.
The Jakarta billboard can also be seen as a somewhat more sophisticated expression of sentiment expressed on T-shirts sold in small shops across Bali containing a certain four-letter expletive in front of the word “terrorists.”
The message displayed on billboards and on the Bali T-shirts reflects a common view held by the overwhelming majority of Indonesians who reject a fringe ideology that depicts democracy as evil and tries to impose its narrow views of religious morality on every sector of society.
Obviously, we like the billboards in question very much. In fact, we’ve even had our picture taken standing in front of one wearing our Bali anti-terrorist T-shirt. When its sponsors decide its time to replace the billboard message, we vote for an equally simple presentation of the phrase “Sekali Merdeka, Tetap Merdeka”
That message, used to close the final news broadcasts each day on the State-owned television channel, proclaims “Once Free, Forever Free.”
We’re sure Budi would agree.
In the meantime, “Budi, teruslah bermain bola!”
Karma Goes Social
Posted July 14, 2009 , add a comment) The Karma Group’s Creative Director, Clinton Albuquerque states, “Traditional marketing and PR weren’t providing the immediacy and specific target marketing that we required. We wanted to engage our audience on a regular basis and increase our brand awareness through the latest online channels.”
Social media marketing has become recognized as a key driver of brand affinity and brand awareness in the travel industry. Through increasingly popular channels such as TripAdvisor, companies are finding that they can make a personal connection with someone who has expressed an interest in their brand. These connections are two-way dialogues rather than a one-way marketing “push.” Mr. Albuquerque adds, “social media is a breakthrough marketing channel. We can now listen and interact with people, not just broadcast to them. It allows us to tailor our content to match their individual interests. Moreover, the feedback we obtain from these conversations helps us make our product better and more responsive to our target markets.”
Many industry insiders believe that social media is the future for the travel industry. Ric Shreves of water&stone notes, “the travel industry, more than any other I know of, benefits from word of mouth and viral marketing. Travellers trust what other travellers tell them, and photo and video sharing sites tap right into human nature, where seeing is believing.”
Karma Resorts is expanding rapidly. The Group currently operates two oceanfront luxury resorts on Bali’s dramatic southern peninsula and another in Koh Samui, Thailand, all of them earning industry accolades, including membership of the Leading Small Hotels of the World. Development is now underway on two new luxury villa resorts. Karma Margaret River celebrates the idyllic charms of this famous winemaking region in Western Australia, while Karma Agung, named after the sacred volcano that rears skyward behind it, spills down a hillside on Bali’s magical eastern coast. Exquisite new luxury villa resorts will soon unfold in Palawan (Philippines), Langkawi (Malaysia), Lombok (Indonesia), Fiji, Goa & Kerala (India) and Mykonos (Greece), putting Karma Resorts at the vanguard of 21st century global luxury living.
By creating a custom social media marketing campaign, the Group hopes to continue to engage their target markets and keep them more in tune with the rapid changes that happening within the resorts. To manage and execute their social media marketing efforts, Karma Resorts retained water&stone and ClearWhiteSpace. It was water&stone and ClearWhiteSpace who launched Bali’s first social media marketing services in May of this year. Clinton adds “The team at water&stone and ClearWhiteSpace have the technical expertise and the market experience to interpret and deliver our message in a fashion we trust. We also liked the idea that they are a local firm with whom we can work to tailor our social media marketing campaign and be proactive in reaching our target audience.”
About Karma Resorts
The Karma Resorts Group owns and operates luxury resorts.
About water&stone (the publisher)
water&stone is a boutique web design and online marketing agency. The firm specializes in the implementation of open source technologies and search marketing.
About ClearWhiteSpace:
ClearWhiteSpace is a creative marketing agency based in Bali.
For More Information:
Karma Resorts: http://www.karmaresorts.com
For more information about Karma Resorts, including links to the various resorts operated worldwide.
water&stone: http://www.waterandstone.com
For more information about water&stone, including company profile, portfolio and client list.
ClearWhiteSpace: http://www.clearwhitespace.com
For more information about CWS, including company profile, portfolio and client list.
AirAsia to launch Flights from Singapore to Miri and Tawau
Posted , add a commentAirAsia is to launch two new flights between
Singapore and East Malasyia. The new Singapore - Miri and Singapore - Tawau sectors,
which begin 9 September, will help draw more inbound international
tourist traffic arriving from Singapore into Sabah and Sarawak.
To celebrate the introduction of the new routes,
AirAsia is offering all-in-fare for Tawau- Singapore from RM79
(Sin$42) and Miri- Singapore from RM59 (Sin$32).
Both promotional fares open for sale from
14 July to 19 July 2009 for travel between 9 September 2009 and 30
April 2010. Promotional seats are limited and available on
first-come, first-served basis.
AirAsia’s first connection between East Malaysia
and Singapore was from Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, which commenced
last November. Other existing routes include Kuala Lumpur -
Singapore, Langkawi- Singapore and Penang- Singapore.
Apart from Malaysia, AirAsia currently flies
between Singapore and the Indonesian provinces which include Bali
(2 daily flights), Jakarta (4 daily flights), Pekanbaru (3 flights
weekly), Yogyakarta (1 daily flight) and Bandung (2 daily
flights). In addition to that, AirAsia also flies to Bangkok (4
daily flights) and Phuket (1 daily flight) in Thailand.
AirAsia currently has a total of 406
weekly flights to and from Singapore.
Kathleen Tan, Regional Head of Commercial
AirAsia, said “We are proud to open-up new market as these sectors
are not served. Students, families and foreign workers can now
take advantage of our low fares and renew their social ties more
frequently or even indulge in leisure holidays to both countries.
There are countless attractions in East Malaysia and Singapore as
it entails a wonderful journey of discovery into its culture,
heritage and adventure. Our recent initiative to remove the
administration fee reiterates AirAsia’s commitment to offer big
value so everyone can fly following our move to abolish fuel
surcharge last year.”
Miri is the second largest city and
the most popular tourist destination in Sarawak. It is famous for
its national parks, heritage sites and adventure destinations for
the most spellbinding experiences in Sarawak. For instance the
Gunung Mulu National Park, is home to the world’s largest cave
system, the world’s largest cave passage and the largest natural
rock chamber in the world. Miri is also a bustling commercial
centre and boasts as the home of Sarawak’s oil industry.
Tawau is located at the northern tip of Sabah Borneo and is the
gateway to the world class diving paradise Sipadan Island and many
neighboring island resorts. Through Tawau tourists will also gain
access to a few oldest virgin forests in the world, for instance
Danum Valley, Tabin Wildlife, Maliau Basin, and Tawau Hill Park.
Orient-Express launches Promotions Around Asia
Posted , add a commentOrient-Express is matching competitively priced
air fares around South East Asia with tailor-made packages to suit
a range of tastes and preferences at its six resorts in Bali,
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
For the spa addict,
hours of indulgent pampering and yoga twinned with first-hand
experience of the magical spirituality and culture of Bali are on
offer in the ‘Bali Harmony’ package at Ubud
Hanging Gardens.
The package also
includes a private guided tour to sacred Balinese villages, a
special private picnic and two 3-course dinners for two for those
booking at least five nights. The deluxe villas have their own
private infinity pools overlooking terraced gardens and
spectacular lush green scenery, with prices starting from US$456.
A ‘Romantic Hideaway‘ package on the beautiful
white sands at Jimbaran Puri Bali is
designed for couples looking for privacy and intimacy.
The Romantic Hideaway showcases the resort’s
ew thatched villas (one or two bedrooms), each with
their own private swimming pools set in a traditional
Balinese garden with courtyard, and comes complete with
a romantic two-hour ‘Balinese Spa Delight’ treatment for
two plus sparkling wine and sunset dinner at the
resort’s Beachfront restaurant. Rates start at US$457 a
night including daily breakfast.
If nostalgic
journeys of olden-day romance, conjure up images of timeless
elegant of train travel, meander through the heart of Asia with
the Eastern & Oriental Express train. Packages vary from one to
three nights and include sumptuous 3-course dinners, delightful
afternoon teas and absolute romantic chivalry.
Book selected Singapore-Bangkok or Bangkok-Singapore journeys now
and receive two free nights at the 5 star Mandarin Oriental Hotel
(or similar hotel) in Singapore, two free nights at the 5 star
Peninsula Hotel (or similar hotel) in Bangkok - plus all station
transfers. Prices start from US$2,210.
A
‘Family Package’ caters for couples
with children at the Napasai in Koh Samui, Thailand.
The promotion includes a day-long island tour for four, Thai carving
classes for the family, one private villa dinner and one dinner at
the resort’s Thai restaurant. Adults are pampered with Thai
massages and children are treated to an ‘Angel Bliss’ massage.
Round trip airport transfers are also included. Prices for a
minimum stay of four nights start from US$490 for a Garden Cottage
Suite or US$880 for a two-bedroom private pool villa.
For culture fiends, La Residence d’Angkor at Siem
Reap in Cambodia takes guests on a voyage of
‘Cultural Discovery’ around one of the most
beautiful and beguiling landscapes in the world, famed for world
famous man-made wonder Angkor Wat.
Priced from US$234 per
night in a delightful Riverside Room, the package includes entry
to Angkor Wat with a private full-day tour guide, as well as a
private picnic, three-course dinner and airport transfers.
In August 2009, Orient-Express will re-launch its
ultimate cultural exploration, the Road To Mandalay.
Cruising the Ayeyarwady River from the pagoda city of Bagan and royal Mandalay
this breathtaking voyage through Burma can be enjoyed for three,
four or seven nights, with the option of additional nights in
historic Yangon, Ngapali and Inle Lake.
After an
extensive 12 month refurbishment by teams of local craftsmen, the
river boat launches with even more understated glamour and
grandeur, but moreover spectacular scenery and a once in a
lifestyle travel experience. Book any cruise departing prior to
April 2010 before 30th September and receive a complimentary
2-night Yangon Extension at the luxurious Governor’s Residence
Hotel, plus transfers and sight seeing tours before or after your
cruise.
Set amongst the mountains in Luang
Prabang, Laos, La Residence Phou Vao has a great value
‘Stay
Another Day’ package where guests staying three nights earn a
complimentary fourth night – plus the three nights will be
pre-discounted by 25%. Also included in this package is
daily breakfast and a morning spa treatment for two in a private
villa, complete with steam bath, subject to availability.
Best Western Hotels in Asia launch Buy One Get One Promotion
Posted , add a commentBest Western has launched a new campaign that
offers guests one free room night for one paid room night at
hotels and resorts in eight prime countries across Asia - Bali,
China, India, Japan, Macau, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
To qualify, guests must book between 20 July
and 2 August
2009 for travel between 20 July and 31 October 2009.
The offer is
on a first come, first served basis and is dependent upon
availability.