[Kabar-indonesia] Luring Aussies Back to Bali No Easy Task [+Cosmic Cuisine; Travel Portals]

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

also: 2 JP Features: Balinese cuisine embodies cosmic balance;
De Neefe shares Balinese recipes with the world; and Dow Jones: 
Travel Portals Gain Allure in India

The Jakarta Post
Thursday, August 3, 2006

Not easy to tempt Aussie tourists back to Bali 

Jonathan Dart, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Last month, the Bali Tourism Board issued a press release declaring what 
everybody on the small holiday island was desperately waiting to hear.

"All indicators are that Bali's tourism industry is making steps towards a 
sure 
and certain recovery," it stated. 

If this year's early travel figures are anything to go by, this view is close 
to the 
mark. In April this year, 103,866 foreign tourists arrived Bali, which was 
down 
by just more than 10 per cent on the figure from the corresponding period in 
2005. 

Considering that after the 2002 attacks, tourist arrivals to Bali did not 
normalize 
until mid-2004, locals may well have cause to celebrate. 

But despite the self-congratulatory press releases, there remains one group 
of people that the Balinese have yet to convince. They can be found in travel 
agencies throughout Australia. 

Tony Foster, who operates a Harvey World Travel franchise in Hobart, 
Tasmania, 
led a well-publicized campaign in May last year to stop promoting Bali as a 
holiday destination as a form of "personal protest". 

The cause of his dissent? Foster said he had a "gut feeling" that Schapelle 
Corby, an Australian tourist arrested in Bali for possession of 4.1 kilograms 
of marijuana, was not being given a "fair go" by Indonesian courts. 

Within a week, an Australian travel industry journal surveyed 168 local 
agents and found that 68 percent of them had also stopped promoting Bali. 

The Schapelle Corby saga -- coupled with the October terrorist bombing and 
subsequent drug trials of Australian Michelle Leslie and of nine other 
Australians nicknamed the "Bali Nine" -- has had an effect on many Australians, many of 
whom have now decided not to return to Bali. 

The tourist data from April show that, while the overall tourist figures were 
strong, arrivals from Australia, Bali's second-largest tourist market, have 
dropped by 45 percent, according to year-on-year statistics from Bali Tourism 
Board. 

The impact from Australia was masked by an unusual increase in visitors from 
Japan and Taiwan, which posted a staggering increase of more than 50 percent. 

More than a year on from his initial campaign, Foster said he still refused 
to promote Bali to his clients. 

"I don't consider it a safe place to have to send anyone," he told The 
Jakarta Post. "No one ever asks for it anyway. People just don't ask for Bali at the 
moment." 

"I think Bali has, at least for me from where I am, just completely gone off 
the agenda for people." 

Perhaps the most telling statistic is that, despite the lackluster showing in 
Bali, the overall number of tourists leaving Australia has been steadily 
increasing since January. 

The fastest growing destination for Australians is one of Indonesia's closest 
neighbors and competitors: Thailand. In the past year, the country has seen a 
rise of more than 49 percent in Australian tourists. 

"There's no doubt that Phuket, Koh Samui, places like that have taken over," 
Foster said. "For a short while Fiji was quite popular. But Fiji is also 
reasonably expensive." 

"The people that were probably going to Bali in years gone by, now I've found 
are going to Thailand and Malaysia, which offer competitive prices. There's 
no doubt that they're the ones that have come out the winner in it all." 

"Phuket for example, was one of those places hardest hit by the tsunami," he 
said. "But people have told me that it's a far better place now than it was 
before. I just think it's going to be a long time for Bali, before it comes back 
into favor." 

With confidence returning to vital markets in East Asia, the big challenge 
now for Bali's tourism industry will be to regain the confidence of tourists in 
Australia. 

But there are already some indicators that the task is not going to be easy. 
Thailand has this year launched its expensive "Grand Invitation" advertising 
campaign, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the ascension to the throne of 
King Bhumibol Adulyadej. 

The advertisements have already been seen extensively around the region, 
including Australia. 

Increased competition between airlines in the region also means that Bali has 
lost its monopoly as the cheap destination for Australian tourists. 

Last week, budget airline operator Jetstar announced flights from Sydney to 
Bali for A$169 (about Rp 1.16 million). Thailand was not far behind, with 
flights to Phuket being offered for A$199. 

But where there is danger there is also opportunity, and increased 
competition among airline operators in Australia will undoubtedly lead to a rise in the 
number of tourists for all major destinations, including Bali. 

The response to Jetstar's offer has so far been impressive, with reports of 
its computer system crashing due to overwhelming demand. 

Bali's travel operators haven't been waiting passively, either. In June, the 
major Bali operators attended the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meeting Expo in 
Melbourne, where they came face to face with the Australian market. 

Bali Discovery Tours president director John Daniels said it was inevitable 
that Bali would return to its former place in the minds of Australian tourists. 

"The cultural and historical connections between Bali and Australia are both 
extensive and intensive which, together with the undeniable attractions of the 
island to Australian travelers, suggest that Australian arrival figures will 
continue to improve each month," he said. 

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The Jakarta Post
Thursday, August 3, 2006

Feature

Balinese cuisine embodies cosmic balance 

Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Sixty-five-year-old Men Ketut Srimin was busy devoting herself to cooking 
delicious meals, rice cakes and other jaja Bali (sweet snacks). 

It was Galungan, one of the most important religious and family celebrations 
for Balinese Hindus, which arrives every six months according to the Balinese 
calendar, or every 210 days in the Gregorian. 

In her humble, shabby paon (traditional Balinese kitchen) in the southern 
corner of the huge family compound up the hill in Tamblang village, around 30 
kilometers north of Singaraja, the grandmother knew precisely that her eldest son 
would want to taste her well-known tipat blayad (glutinous rice wrapped in 
coconut leaves accompanied by chicken curry). 

Her son's Australian wife would prefer bubuh injin (sweet black rice porridge 
served with creamy coconut milk on the top). 

Galungan has always been a time for a family gathering and a party -- meaning 
a lot of food. She has eight sons and daughters and dozens of grandchildren. 

For the big day, she had already prepared an assortment of main dishes 
including lawar kuwir(thinly sliced meat or fish), sate lilit, roast duck, be sisit 
(grated chicken meat cooked with chili and other spices), not to mention rujak 
(fruit salad with a spicy dressing) and es daluman (herbal tonic) as dessert. 

Almost every Balinese household has its own age-old secret recipes as part of 
the family heritage. Despite its rather spicy and hot taste as judged by 
mainstream culinary criteria, Balinese food is as delicious as anything found 
elsewhere in Indonesia. 

So rich and varied is the traditional cuisine of Bali that each area -- if 
not village -- can boast its own specialty. Yet, only a few of these local meals 
are included in Indonesian culinary books, let alone in international food 
dictionaries. 

"We'd really like to publicize Bali as a haven for food-lovers," said Bagus 
Sudibya, chairman of Bali Tourism Board (BTB). 

Culinary Tourism is currently being promoted by the board and the Balinese 
Tourism Agency, together with the island's hospitality industry, as an 
innovative program to lure back visitors to the island. 

If you really want to taste authentic Balinese food, you can find it -- not 
in luxury restaurants or hotels but in family kitchens or at local warung, 
where vendors offer their food under a shady banyan or batan waru tree in a corner 
of a village or at a traditional market. 

The food stalls are usually favorite culinary hot spots and communal meeting 
points for members of the banjar (village community organizations) where one 
can hear the latest gossip while sipping a cup of coffee. 

The problem is that these venues are none too hygienic or eye-catching, so 
find it hard to attract either foreign or domestic visitors to taste the 
delicious fare on offer, said I Nyoman Suparta, a professor from the University of 
Udayana's food technology department. 

BTB, Udayana and the Bali provincial government have worked together to train 
vendors in the field of food preparation, sanitation and hygiene. 

"Food preparation is very important. Incorrect preparation can reduce its 
nutritional value. In the case of Balinese food, it can be disastrous as it loses 
its authentic taste," he said. 

No less important is sanitation and hygiene. "Food sellers often break food 
up with their fingers or leave it exposed to dust and insects," he added. 

Most Balinese people eat with their hands, an unattractive habit by Western 
standards. 

Ketut Mudana, Nusa Dua Beach Hotel executive chef, explained to training 
participants it was crucial to maintain hygiene when handling food. 

"Balinese people treat their food with great respect and consider it a direct 
gift from the gods, "he said. 

"We strongly believe in cosmological balance in every aspect of our lives, 
including food and the way it's prepared," Mudana added. 

"Food is cooked to nourish both our physical and spiritual needs. I pray 
while cooking," Men Srimin said while grating a coconut. Like thousands of mothers 
and grandmothers on the island, cooking is considered part of one's daily 
spiritual endeavors. 

Activities begin at the kitchen: Paon literally means ashes. Generally placed 
in the southwest corner of a family house, a kitchen functions both as a 
place for cooking and an intangible gate to guard the inhabitants from evil 
spirits. It is believed to reflect positive energy to neutralize bad influences. 

"Therefore, all cooking utensils, cutlery and other kitchen equipment should 
be clean," Mudana explained. 

There is also a widespread belief that Balinese food is not halal, or 
acceptable to non-Balinese people who might not consume pork. "Wherever they 
(visitors) go, they view roasted suckling pig sold at local food stalls," he said. 

A native of Gianyar, Mudana, a chef for 20 years, shared some of his family's 
recipes. "We cook a lot of halal food using chicken, fish or duck combined 
with fresh fruit and vegetables. 

Balinese food is even OK for vegetarians," he said. Mudana said that he had 
not learned to cook Balinese food from cooking school. 

"I adopted recipes from my family and friends." 

Mudana and his team prepared authentic Balinese food with some modifications 
here and there at his hotel restaurant, Radja's Balinese Cuisine. 

"Our main market is visitors coming from Asian and Middle-Eastern countries, 
so all our Balinese dishes are halal," he added. 

An attempt to promote traditional Balinese food also featured Melia Bali 
hotel, which organized a special festival last week. 

I Gusti Ngurah Panca, the hotel's chef, prepared rare traditional food and 
beverages for his international guests. 

"We are gradually introducing Balinese food to our guests, meaning that it is 
not too hot or spicy," he said. 

He also stressed the benefit of consuming the food. 

"For Balinese, food and beverages are their main medicine. We use a lot of 
spices, fresh fruit and vegetables that are all good for one's physical 
well-being," he said. 

Daluman, for instance, a herbal tonic made from green vine leaf which, when 
mixed with water, becomes dark green and gelatinous, is full of natural 
chlorophyll, and has antioxidant and anticancer properties. 

He tried to produce a comprehensive explanation for each dish he served. 

The lush gardens of this tropical paradise abound with herbs, leaves, seeds 
and roots that can be used to cool a heated body, aid digestion, purify the 
blood and relieve aches and pains. 

Spices, used to make a glorious curry, can also make a revitalizing tonic or 
a poultice for colds and influenzas. 

Turmeric, for instance, which is used to add flavor to curry, is believed to 
be able to cure digestion disorders, skin disorder and to improve blood 
circulation. Tamarind, widely used in Balinese food, is rich in vitamin C, iron and 
fiber. 

Garlic is a powerful natural antibiotic that can boost the body's immune 
system. 

Red shallot is another potent spice that not only imparts a magical taste to 
food but also protects its consumers from black magic, according to Balinese 
belief. A newly-born baby is usually doused with the juices of red shallots to 
protect him or her from cold and evil spirit. 

"The most important element in making Balinese food is the careful blending 
of spices and flavors, to reflect the Balinese ideal of harmony and balance," 
Ngurah said. 

With this in mind, more and more people might wish to taste delicious, 
multibeneficial Balinese cuisine when they visit the island. 

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The Jakarta Post
Thursday, August 3, 2006

Feature

De Neefe shares Balinese recipes with the world 

Fifteen-year-old Australian-born Janet De Neefe flew to Bali in l974 for a 
family holiday. That was her first encounter with the island. She was spellbound 
by everything she saw: Frangipani trees and flowers, yellowish paddy fields, 
the beauty and charm of dancers and an abundance of exotic food and colorful 
tropical fruits.

"I remembered seeing pink fried rice, a variety of satay, green leaves tossed 
in peanut sauce, fruits poached in palm sugar and other unknown dishes. It 
was the most aromatic food I had ever tasted," Janet recalled. 

The young Janet was curious about the culture and the food of course, but she 
did not expect to fall in love someday with a Balinese man. 

Ten years later, Janet returned to Bali. "It was a turning point in my life," 
she commented adding that was the year she met her future husband, Ketut, 
with whom she has four children. 

"I was back in Bali in l985 as an art college student with a mission to write 
a Balinese cookbook and introduce the world to the food I had grown to love," 
Janet said. 

She was lucky to meet Kasi, Ketut's only sister, her future sister-in-law and 
a great cook in Ubud village. Their father, (my late father-in-law), Janet 
said, was the head of the family culinary team and had a history of cooking 
meals for the likes of German artist Walter Spies and famous Dutch officials. 
Janet felt she was in the right hands. 

A strong will and curiosity led her to shop daily at the crowded Ubud market, 
making a note of everything she bought. Kasi taught her to cook some Balinese 
food. 

Motivated by an insatiable desire to learn about Balinese cooking and more 
importantly to fit into Balinese culture, Janet spent every day cooking, 
recording, tasting, smelling, drawing and photographing every piece of food that 
found its way into Kasi's kitchen. 

At the same time, she also observed the locals' body language, clothing 
styles, customs and etiquettes. "At times, I felt frustrated because I was so 
ignorant of the more subtle cultural differences," she said. 

Learning about Balinese cooking and culture was an enormous task for any 
Westerner, Janet included. "Gathering and making a note of the recipe for each 
Balinese dish was very difficult because not every recipe was written down. They 
added spices like turmeric, tamarind, chilies without any measurement." 

Janet was introduced to a "great cook", whose specialty was Bebek Betutu 
(smoked duck wrapped in banana leaves). The old man looked so patient and gentle. 
"A great Balinese chef can taste with the tips of his fingers and the palm of 
his hand," the old man said. 

Janet watched him prepare a careful selection of spices and the delicate 
balancing of ingredients that would result in a perfect marriage of flavors. 

As he cooked, Janet never saw him tasting the food, instead he carefully 
mixed the ingredients with his large hands and from time to time he would smell 
the tips of his fingers intently, as if the elixir of life were upon them. 

It took him eight hours to cook a delicious and tender Bebek Betutu. 

Five years later in l990, Ketut asked Janet to marry him and to move to Ubud. 
>From then, Janet's journey into the very heart and essence of the Balinese 
kitchen started. 

She shared her sweet memories in her best-selling book Fragrant Rice, which 
contains a full-length and insightful picture of the life of the Balinese 
people and their culture. 

In the book, Janet also passed on delicious recipes handed down through 
generations of her husband's family. Janet and Ketut are now running two 
restaurants, Casaluna and Indus, in the heart of Ubud. 

Janet also runs cooking classes for locals and foreign visitors who really 
want to learn how to cook authentic Balinese cuisine. "These classes are aimed 
at people who have a passion for the food of other cultures." 

Janet, the initiator of the annual Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, always 
introduces Balinese food to her multinational friends. 

The following is one of her favorite recipes: 

Satay Lilit (Seafood Satay) 

300 g (10 oz) tuna, mackerel or sword fish
4 kaffir lime leaves
¬ cup of coconut milk
3 teaspoons palm sugar
Sea salt, lemon grass stalks soaked in the water for grilling Spices:
¬ teaspoon shrimp paste
2 teaspoon tamarind
6 cloves garlic
¬ teaspoon pepper
2 small red shallots
1 tomato
2 stalks chopped lemon grass
3 large mild chilies
2 teaspoon palm sugar
2 teaspoon turmeric
2 tea spoon ginger
1 table spoon galangal
Pinch of fresh nutmeg
« teaspoon coriander seeds
¬ teaspoon black pepper and ¬ teaspoon sesame seeds

Place the spices in the container of the food processor (traditional grinder) 
and blend to paste. Slice the fish into chunks. Place in the container of the 
food processor and blend or grind until ground like sausage mince. In a large 
bowl, mix the ground fish with the spices, lime leaves, coconut milk, palm 
sugar and salt thoroughly until it forms strong dough. 

Take a tablespoon of the mixture and wrap onto a stalk of lemon grass. The 
end should be slightly thicker like a drum stick. Grill under a pre-heated 
griller or barbecue over hot coals. Rotate the stick as it cooks so that it browns 
evenly. Garnish with friend shallots and serve with steamed rice. (Rita 
Widiadana) 

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Dow Jones Newswires
Thursday, August 3, 2006

Travel Portals Gain Allure in India

By ABHRAJIT GANGOPADHYAY

MUMBAI -- Drawn by a tourism boom in India, private-equity funds are 
investing in online travel companies to cash in on a market that is expected to expand 
30% to 35% each year.

Like Expedia and Orbitz in the U.S., portals such as Travelguru.com and 
MakeMyTrip.com offer flights, hotels, cars and packages in a range that experts say 
the typical family-owned travel operator will find hard to match.

Although the limited number of credit cards in India is a hurdle, travel 
engines are adding payment options to tap consumers in smaller cities and towns 
and are reporting double-digit growth in bookings.

Ram Badrinathan, Asian-Pacific analyst with PhoCusWright Inc., a 
travel-research firm based in the U.S., expects the value of online bookings in India to 
hit $2 billion by 2008, from a negligible amount now.

The Travel Agents Association of India, a lobby group representing about 
1,800 travel operators, says the challenge from the start-up businesses will force 
some smaller companies to close. But the association's vice president, C.V. 
Prasad, says that despite initial pressures, many of the traditional travel 
operators are likely to develop new products and survive.

According to fund managers, five funds have invested in four online travel 
portals so far and three more investments are in the pipeline.

"We see immense potential in India's consumer-led Internet-based business. It 
is on the cusp of growth as China was a few years ago," says Promod Haque, 
managing partner at U.S. venture-capital firm Norwest Venture Partners.

In January, Norwest teamed up with Reliance Capital Ltd. and broadcaster 
Television 18 India Ltd. to fund start-up Yatra Online with an estimated $5 
million. Yatra.in was launched in June.

In February, U.S. venture-capital fund Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers 
announced its first Indian investment, an infusion of between $2.7 million and $3 
million in Cleartrip.com.

Travelguru started operations in February, after the local unit of U.S. 
venture-capital fund Sequoia Capital invested an undisclosed amount.

The scope for growth in online bookings is immense, according to competitors.

Nearly 60% of tickets are bought online in the U.S., but such sales account 
for only one out of 10 tickets in Asia, says Ashwin Damera, chief executive of 
Travelguru.

MakeMyTrip, which was launched in May 2005 after Hong Kong-based Softbank 
Asia Infrastructure Fund Partners invested $10 million, does 1,000 transactions a 
day, accounting for close to 2,000 airline tickets and 100 room bookings.

The company declined to disclose its revenue, but said it has a "profitable 
operation."

Travelguru now sells more than 500 tickets a day and plans to hit 1,000 by 
year end. It is aiming for $75 million in ticket sales during its first year, 
Mr. Damera says.

"Online companies have an edge [over travel operators] as they can tie up 
with several hotels and airlines without incurring much cost and offer an 
expanded choice," says Mr. Damera, whose Travelguru has tied up with nearly 450 
hotels across the country.

Although India's Internet and credit-card-penetration rates are low by global 
standards -- just 30 million of the billion-strong population have credit and 
debit cards -- there are new ways to pay online such as itz-cash, a prepaid 
cash card.

Travelguru now accepts checks that can be handed over to the courier who 
delivers the tickets. It will soon accept itz-cash, it says.

An estimated 51 million domestic passengers traveled by air in India during 
the year to March, a 28% increase from 39 million domestic passengers the 
previous year, according to the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy, a 
Mumbai-based think tank.

The domestic air-travel market is forecast to grow 20% annually over the next 
five years, fueled by low-cost carriers, while the total tourism industry, 
including foreign tourists, is estimated to grow 30% to 35% each year for the 
next few years, according to the travel agents' association.

Norwest expects India's travel industry, including foreign and local 
tourists, hotel bookings and customized tours, to be worth nearly $40 billion this 
year and $50 billion by 2009, with revenues from foreign travelers in India 
quadrupling to $24 billion by 2015.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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