Bali is awarded as The Best Island in Asia Pacific

Bali has again received an award as The Best Island in Asia Pacific 2009 from the Hong Kong-based DestinAsian Magazine, it means Bali is chosen the fourth times consecutively since 2006.
According to Bali Tourism Office records, Bali has received at least 25 awards from various international magazines and countries since 1998. Most of the awards were given to Bali for its unique destination and natural beauty found nowhere else in the world. Not long ago, Bali also received an award as The Best Spa of the World from Senses Wellnes Magazine.

Early this year, MICEBTN Asia Pasific wrote, Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia, Jero Wacik, said visitor arrivals topped 6.4 million in 2008," almost a million more arrivals than in 2007.

As sourced from Indonesian Tourism official website, March 2009 foreign tourist arrivals to Bali (161,169) increased month-on-month 4.7%, as compared to the same month in 2008. Bali Tourist Arrivals covering the first three months of the year (Q1) totaled 465,182 - improving 3.61% over Q1 2008 (448,954).

Cumulative arrivals over the first three months of 2009 improved from Australia (+25.92%), the People's Republic of China (+39.99%), Malaysia (+19.89%), Russia (+6.33%), the Netherlands (+2.96%), and France (+19.36%). Meanwhile, market "losers" recording decreased numbers for Q1 2009 included Japan (-11.59%), Taiwan (-24%), South Korean (-8.81%), U.S.A. (-7.9%), Germany (-19.35%) and the United Kingdom (-17.83%).

Within those numbers, the number of Australian tourists visiting Bali in the first quarter of 2009 rose 24.85 percent to 71,970 from 57,647 in the same period last year (ANANTARA news).