Visit Indonesia (indonesia.travel) -- News

Garuda Indonesia, Worldâ��s Best Economy Class : Skytrax

Skytrax has this year awarded The World’s Best Economy Class to Garuda Indonesia, outranking Singapore Airlines, who won the category last year. Garuda shot up to the top from 4^th position held last year. The Award was handed by CNN’s Richard Quest to Garuda Indonesia’s CEO, Emirsyah Satar, at theInternational Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, Tuesday, 18 June 2013. Additionally, Garuda Indonesia was also awarded: The World’s Best Regional Airline, reports Kompas daily from Paris.

The decision was based on Skytrax Customer Satisfaction Survey undertaken globally involving 18 million passengers from 100 nationalities. Skytrax checked 200 airlines, both international and domestic, measuring 38 aspects of products and services given to passengers.

Accepting the Award, Emirsyah Satar, said that he was justly proud of the Award received by Garuda Indonesia. Improvements that have been made are an inseparable part of the company’s Quantum Leap program to raise the quality and competitiveness of the airline’s product and services. It is also the result of hard work put in, and commitment of the airline’s management and staff, that are now appreciated by the international world. This will also boost Garuda Indonesia to continue its Quantum Leap 2011-2015 program to rise into a five star airline, said Satar. By year 2015 Garuda plans to operate 194 aircrafts.

(Source: Kompas daily)

Riau Islands: Batam builds Botanic Gardens, Anambas plans Airport

To further green Batam, the Batam authority plans to build an 86.5 hectares Botanic Garden on the islands, equal in size to the one in Bogor near Jakarta. Batam island is only half an hour by ferry from Singapore.

The area allocated is around Nongsa. The Science Institute of Indonesia (LIPI) has already given their support to the program and will assist with the necessary expertise. The total budget of Rp. 865 billion will be borne jointly by Batam, the provincial government of the Riau Islands, and the National Budget, and is planned for a number of years' development.

Preparations have been started, and LIPI experts have begun to make an inventory of endemic flora and fauna on Batam. Forests have also been scoured to find economic value wood such as the gaharu, pulau, keruing, meranti, pelawan and bintangor, next to finding rattan seeds.

LIPI will also study infrastructure needs, with expenses to be borne by the Ministry of Public Works, while Batam authoritieswil be in charge of clearing the land from illegal settlers.

The Batam Botanic Gardens wil have a number of functions. For the natural environment, the gardens will be a center for the conservation of the various flora and fauna found in the Riau Islands. The gardens will also serve as water catchment area and become the lungs for Batam. Furthermore the botanic gardens will become an area for education and tourism.

Meanwhile, from the Anambas Islands it is reported that the government has allocated Rp. 230 billion to build the Letung Airport on the island of Jemaja in the Anambas archipelago. The airport is expected to jack up the economy and attract tourism to these remote islands.

At present many travel writers have already raved about the beauty of the Anambas seas, which they call as the Sea Gardens of the South China Sea. However, because of limited access, the number of tourists have also been curtailed, said M Sani, Governor of the Riau Islands province.

Right now, Anambas can only be reached by ferry from Tanjung Pinang on Bintan island, which takes 9 hours. From Batam there are flights availabe but only on a number of days per week with planes carrying a maximum 48 passengers per flight.

Therefore, Anambas needs to construct the Letung Airport on Jemaja, that will have a 1,650 meters long runway, an apron, a terminal and a parking area. Letung Airport is expected to be operational by 2016.

Additionally, the local government plans to operate ferries to connect the many islands with the airport.

(Source: Kompas daily)

Festival Danau Toba : Showcasing Batak Culture and Sports midst amazing Lake Toba

Festival Danau Toba (FDT) 2013 - or Lake Toba Festival - that was originally planned for June-July, has now been postponed to 8 – 14 September 2013 to allow districts all over North Sumatra to better prepare themselves to participate and to make the event into an exceptional occasion for the public and tourists alike. The Festival will cover comprehensive activities from music, arts and crafts, to traditional sports competitions to environment conservation activities.

To be held by the Regency of Samosir, at the Batu Hoda Beach by Simanindo on Samosir island and at the Open Stage of Pangururan at Pasir Putih Parbaba, the Lake Toba Festival takes the theme: Arga do Bona ni Pinasa, meaning the Most Meaningful Village. The island of Samosir, which lies in the middle of the expansive Lake Toba, is believed to be the birthplace of all Batak clans who are now spread over a large area in North Sumatra.

In the Arts and crafts, the Festival will feature traditional Tortor dance competitions, Gondang, drama , carving, Ulos weaving competitions, and of course there will be an Ulos Fashion Show. There will also be competitions in story telling, drama, and a whole lot more. The entire gamut will showcase the many and varied Batak cultural expressions.

Of course an important feature will be the choir competitions. The Batak are famous for their beautiful and powerful singing voices and church choirs that can mesmerize entire congregations.

Main feature of the Festival will be the revival of almost forgotten traditional sports that are hoped to be included in national competitions. Among these are Margala. (hide and seek), Umban or catapult competition, reminder how in the Bible, David succeeded to kill Goliath with a simple catapult. There will also be marukkor (diving) , marlage (long distance swimming) competition, dragon boat races, and more.

At the same time, hotels, homestays and villages will be kept busy cleaning up the environment, planting trees, and there will be competitions to be nominated for the Tourist Village category which requires innovations and creativity. Meanwhile, bands and singers will enliven this one week event.

For more information in Bahasa Indonesia you can log on to : www.mahasiswabatak.com

Successful International Homestay Promotional Fair 2013 at Sawahlunto

Sawahlunto, a charming little town in West Sumatra once famous for its coal mining industry, has transformed itself into an alluring tourist destination complete with various facilities. Although the town has only a few hotels, the homestays here are among the best in the country. Therefore it was only fitting that Sawahlunto was chosen to be the host of The International Homestay Promotional Fair 2013 , that took place from 10^th to 13^th June 2013.

Aside from Indonesia as host country, the event was also participated by ASEAN Countries , and was held concurrently with the ASEAN Workshop on Cultural Heritage Tourism. Moreover, remnants of the colonial age and the old mining industries in Sawahlunto have made the town a perfect host for the event.

With delegates from The Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT), Brunei Darussalam, Philippines, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Singapore, and Vietnam, the event was aimed to strengthen and enhance cooperation among ASEAN nations especially in the field of Tourism. Moreover, for Indonesia, the occasion was aimed to further promote Sawahlunto as a tourist destination and the center of quality Homestays.

Specifically, the International Homestay Promotional Fair and the ASEAN Workshop addressed some of the latest trends and information regarding homestay management in the ASEAN countries. Also participating were resentatives from various destinations in Indonesia such as Bali, Malang (East Java), Dieng and Borobudur (Central Java), West Sumatra, and Yogyakarta. Adding an authentic vibe to the event, all delegates were accommodated in a number of homestay establishmentsspread across Talawi and the Lembah Segar area.

The town of Sawahlunto has at least 53 homestays with aproximately 116 rooms. All are under the Sawahlunto Homestay Association which applies the room and service standards of Indonesia’s Hotel and Restaurants Association (PHRI). The rate of homestays here range between IDR70,000 to IDR250,000 (including two meals).

Not only given accommodation and meals, those who stay in homestays will also receive the warm and friendly ambience of the indigenous Minangkabau courtesy. Some also provide tempting tour packages such as rafting, traditional art performances, traditional village tours, and many others. During the recent mega sporting event of Tour de Singkarak 2013, thousands of spectators found comfortable accommodation in homestays here.

Mayor of Sawahlunto, Ir.Amran Nur said that homestays in Sawahlunto have proven to be succesful as the number of tourists visiting the town has increased significantly. In 2004, tourists visiting Sawahlunto numbered a mere 14, 000, but today the numberhas incredibly surged to 742,000 tourists. The increasing number of visits was also supported by the many efforts made to improve sites in and around Sawahlunto including the coal mining fields, the Sawahlunto Museum, The logistic Museum, and others.

Mt. Kelimutu on Flores temporarily Closed to Climbers

Since 4th June 2013, the Board for Disaster Management of East Nusatenggara province has declared Mt. Kelimutu on Flores with its three colored lakes closed to all climbers for an unspecified time period, reports Kompas daily.

Head of the Board, Tadeus Tini told reporters in Kupang on 11 June that Mt. Kelimutu, near the town of Ende has shown increased activities, so that its status has been raised from “Safe” to “Alert” (Waspada).

Tadeus Tini said that Mt. Kelimutu volcano has emitted increased sulphuric fumes that have dried up pine trees around the crater, and may, therefore, most likely also endanger human beings.

Although not a high volcano, with a height of only 960 meters above sea level, Mt. Kelimutu on Flores has increasingly attracted international attention because of its mysterious 3 colored crater lakes, that keep changing color. At present it is reported that colors of the lakes are pink, white and green, whereas previously these were dark purple, yellow and blue.

Some 100 climbers scale the mountain daily to its crater, staying overnight in the village of Moni, 12 kilometers from Kelimutu’s peak.

Organizers of the Sail Komodo 2013 event hope that by early July activities of the mountain will have subsided since a number of Sail Komodo participants have expressed the wish to climb Mt. Kelimutu.

Other destinations on Flores and Komodo are not affected by the volcano's activities.

(source: Kompas daily)

Tour de Singkarak 2013 : Iran dominates Final Results

After 7 days of fierce competition and over 1000 kilometers of steep climbs, sharp curves, and challenging flat track sprints, the mega sporting event the FifthTour de Singkarak came to its pinnacle closure on Sunday, 9^th June 2013.

Led by Tabriz Petrochemical Team who emerged as General Team Champion, Iranian cyclists dominated the final result of Tour de Singkarak 2013, placing Ghader Mirzani as the winner of racer General Category (yellow jersey) and Amir Kolahdozagh as the leader in the King of Mountains category (polka-dot Jersey).

6^th Stage : from Pariaman to Painan

Following a day’s rest on Friday 7^th June, where cyclists revitalized their energy, enjoying their time at Pantai Air Manis Beach, the 6^th stage of Tour de Singkarak 2013 took racers on a 144.5 Km race across the coastline of West Sumatra from Padang Pariaman to Painan. The race was only followed by 97 cyclists since 37 cyclists did not finish the previous stage.

The race was dominated by flat track which presented an exciting close sprint race among competing cyclists, especially atKM31.5 and Km 62. Flagged off from Pariaman city Mayor’s office right across Gandoriah Beach, the course also took racers pass the two largest seaports in West Sumatra: Teluk Bayur Port and Bungus Port.

Almost all cyclists involved in a neck and neck race all the way to approximately 10km before the finish line. The heat of the race also took its toll on last year’s champion Oscar Pujol Munoz who was involved in an accident. Phillipines Ronnel Hualda emerged victorious in this stage clocking at 3 hours 30 minutes and 7 seconds. Following in second place is Moh.Zamri Saleh from Trengganu Cycling Team (Malaysia) and Hossein Nateghi from Tabriz Petrochemical (Iran) in third.

The 7^th and Final Stage : Padang

The 7^th and final stage of Tour de Singkarak 2013 took the scene of sprinting on flat tracks of 134.5Km including the 6 lap circuit race in downtown Padang. Again, the number of racers was reduced to 83, since a number of cyclists did not finish the previous race. Although dominated mostly by flat track, the course still left one ascending track on Km.276 where racers competed for the King of Mountains points.

Marking Iranian domination in the tour, Mehdi Sohrabi became the first to cross the finish line clocking at 03:26:55. Second place went to Jerry Aquino from 7 Eleven (Philippines) and Karl Evans from Budget Forklift (Australia) who crossed the finish line at the same time.

The final results of Tour de Singkarak 2013 are as follows:

General Category (yellow jersey) :

1. Ghader Mizbani (Tabriz Petrochemical Team) 22.40.47

2. Johan Coenen ((Team Differdange-Losch) 22.46.27

3. Amir Kolahdozhagh (Tabriz Petrochemical Team) 22.47.19

4. Kristian Juel (Budget Forklifs) 22.50.07

5. Alireza Asgharzadeh (Tabriz Petrochemical Team) 22.50.29

Indonesian Racers Category (red and white jersey) :

1. Aiman Cahyadi (Timnas Indonesia) 22.55.19

2. Robin Manulang (Timnas Indonesia) 22.55.57

3. Hari Fitrianto (CCN Cycling Team) 22.56.11

4. Kurniawan (BRCC Banyuwangi) 22.58.11

5. Tonton Susanto (Putra Perjuangan) 22.59.56

Sprint King Category (green jersey) :

1. Mohd Zamri Saleh (Trengganu Cycling Team) 16 poin

2. Jerry Aquino (7 Eleven) 15 poin

3. Hossein Nateghi (Tabriz Petrochemical Team) 15 poin

4. Rustom Lim (LBC Filipina) 10 poin

5. Rastra Patria Dinawan (Timnas Indonesia) 7 poin

King of Mountains Category (polkadot jersey) :

1. Amir Kolahdozhagh (Tabriz Petrochemical Team) 30 poin

2. Johan Coenen (Team Differdange-Losch) 25 poin

3. Ghader Mizbani (Tabriz Petrochemical Team) 18 poin

4. Hossein Askari (Tabriz Petrochemical Team) 17 poin

5. Alireza Asgharzadeh (Tabriz Petrochemical Team) 14 poin

General Team Category :

1. Tabriz Petrochemical Cycling Team 68.06.27

2. Budget Forklifs 68.34.49

3. Timnas Indonesia 68.44.27

4. Polygon Sweet Nice 68.47.45

5. Japan National Team 68.49.52

Indonesian Team Category :

1. Timnas Indonesia 68.44.27

2. Putra Perjuangan 69.02.33

3. BRCC Banyuwangi Team 69.04.01

4. Binong Baru Pessel 69.23.14

5. Customs Cycling Clum 69.34.52

Tour de Singkarak 2013: Cyclists Release Baby Turtles to the Ocean on Rest Day

Friday, 7 June was a day of rest given to the cyclist, to revitalize their energy to face the two more long stages ahead in the Tour de Singkarak 2013. The day was filled relaxing, enjoying the wide open beach and the wonderful natural environment by releasing hundreds of baby turtles to the Indian Ocean at Pantai Air Manis beach of Padang, capital of the province of West Sumatra.

All participants carefully and enthusiastically set free some 300 baby turtles in all. Some giving a fond farewell kiss to the turtle before releasing it to the sea. Oscar Pujo Munoq and Fatahillah Abdullah wearing casual clothes, waded gleefully into the waves carrying the baby turtle far into the sea. Munoz told indonesia.travel that this was the very first time that he has released turtles, and fully enjoyed the experience.

The turtles were bred in a conservation area in the town of Pariaman.

Air Manis Beach regularly draws tourists in Padang, and is the site of the Indonesian legend, Malin Kundang. Malin Kundang tells the story of an ungrateful son who wandered to many parts of the world. On his return to Padang as a wealthy merchant he refused to acknowldg his mother who had remained poor. As punishment Maln Kundang was turned into stone. And, indeed, on this beach is a large rock that resembles a remorseful, kneeling man, which locals believe is the stone to which Malin Kundang was eternally cursed.

Air Manis Beach is 30 minutes from the center of Padang.

On Saturday, 8 June, racers will resume with Stage 6 from Pariaman to Painan, covering a distanc e of 144.5 km all the way along the coast, thus giving a good chance for sprinters to race.

Stage 5: Ghader Mizbani recaptures Yellow Jersey for Iranian team

In Stage 5, on Thursday, 6 June, covering 138.5 km from Sawahlunto to Muara Labug, Iranian Ghader Mizbani Iranagh from theTabriz Petrochemical team managed to win back the yellow jersey for the Iranians in the Individual General Classification. While Tabriz Petrochemical held first position in the Team General Classification.

In the Individual Classification John Coenen from Belgium came second, followed by Amir Kolahdozhagh from Iran in third place. While in the Team General Classification, second came Budget Forklifts from Australia, followed in third place by Timnas Indonesia.

While in the Indonesia individual General Classification, Aiman Cahyadi of Timnas was entitled to wear the Red and White jersey, He was followed in second place by Robin Manulang of Timans and Hari Fitrianto of CNN.

The 5th stage took cyclists pass two beautiful of West Sumatra, the Danau Diatas and Danau Dibawah, meaning the Upper and Lower lakes located in the magnificent Bukit Barisan mountain range, which forms the spine of the island of Sumatra.

South East Asian cyclists dominate the 4th stage of Tour de Singkarak 2013

Flagged off from Sijunjung Regency and finishing at the Punjung Island Dharmasraya Regency, the 4^thstage of Tour de Singkarak 2013 took competing cyclists over a 189.5Km course under a bright scorching sun. South East Asian cyclists dominated the scene led by Malaysian Loh Sea Koengyang from the Continental Cycling Team (Singapore) who finished first place clocking at 04:29:44, followed by Indonesia’s own Fito Bakdo Prilanji from the CNN Cycling Team Brunei in second place and Rastra Patria Darmawan from the Indonesia National Team in third.

The three leading racers displayed fierce competition and raced neck and neck all the way to the finish line, giving the audience an exceptional spectacle. Dominated by flat tracks with few ascending roads, the course of the 4^th stage made the race a close and balanced one, although eventually the racers broke into several groups, but still with relatively close distances.

In the General Classification, Alireza Asgharzdeh from Tabriz Petrochemical Team Iran managed to reclaim the yellow jersey which was previously was won by Johan Coenen from Luxembourg. Coenen dropped back to second place totaling 8 seconds behind Asgharzdeh.

The local authorities and the people of Punjung Island warmly welcomed all participating racers with festivities and traditional cultural performances including Reog Ponorogo from East Java, Gendang Tasa, Tor-tor Dance from North Sumatra, and obviously West Sumatra’s own Minang art performances. The regent of Dharmasraya stated that the traditional cultural performances that were presented to the racers were aimed to introduce the wide variety of culture that exists in Dharmasraya.

Dharmasraya is a newly formed District which was once the site of ancient kingdoms with capitalat Pulau Punjung. Here still lie scattered, awaiting further research, many artifacts from the Hindu-Buddhist period to the more recent Islamic time. A stone inscription found at Padang Roco mentions that Dharmasraya, a Malay kingdom emerged after the fall of the mighty Srivijaya. Another inscription found at Chaiya in south Thailand and an old report from China entitled Zhufan Zhi dated 1225, both mention that Dharmasraya’s power extended to the Malay Peninsula.

This kingdom also held relations with the Singosari kingdom in East Java, whilst another historic record in the Nagarakretagama mentions that the Malay Kingdom was a vassal of the Hindu Majapahit kingdom, in East Java, which followed Singosari.

The Tour de Singkarak continues today, Thursday 6^th June 2013 with the 5^th stage with a challenging course, taking cyclists from the town of Sawahlunto to Muaro Labuh covering a total distance of 138.5 Km.

Tour de Singkarak Stage 3: Luxemburgâ��s Johan Coenen wins yellow jersey

The 3^rd stage of Tour de Singkarak 2013 challenged the 110 cyclists to conquer a 208 Kilometers track. This is the longest and most challenging stage of the competition but also one that presents some of the best spectacles of West Sumatra including the Anai Valley waterfall and Lake Maninjau, along with the challenging Kelok 44 (44 hairpin curves) and the grandeur of Pagaruyung Palace at the Finish line.

The climax of this stage is obviously the very challenging Kelok 44. Overlooking the magnificent view of Lake Maninjau, the course featuresan ascending track that is highlighted with exactly 44 hairpin curves that make up the steep levels. Here, the stamina, mental, and concentration of cyclists are truly tested. With heights reaching 1.079m above sea level, the course is recorded in the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) as one of the toughest courses in the world.

Luxemburg cyclist, Johan Coenen from Differdange-Losch Team became the first to cross the finish line in Stage 3 of Tour de Singkarak, clocking at 5 hours 52 minutes and 29 seconds. Emerging 3 minutes and 16 seconds behind him in second place was Juel Kristian from Budget Forklift Australia, while in the 3^rd place was Wei-Cheng Lee from Action Cycling Team.

With the result, that not only did Coenen win the stage but, moreover, managed to win the yellow jersey as leader of the competition. Coenen also managed to get the polka-dot jersey after conquering 2 out of the 4 ascending tracks in the King of Mountain (KOM) classification.

In the Indonesian category, winner of this stage went to Aiman Cahyadi with a total time of 5 hours 59.22 minutes. The national cyclist managed to overthrow and claim the Red and White Jersey from his team mate, Bambang Suryadi who finished with a total time of 11 hours and 30.50 minutes.

The Anai Valley and Batang Anai River area have always captivated visitors since the Dutch Colonial era. Dutch Governor General Van Den Bosch even instructed the road and railway to be built in line with the flow of the Anai River. Perched in the mountain highlands, around 461 meters above sea level, Lake Maninjau is a splendid sight. At 100 m2, this lake is an impressive natural wonder and a place to enjoy when you’re after a peaceful and relaxing destination to unwind and absorb a quiet pace of life. Istana Basa Pagaruyung or the Pagaruyung palace is the grandest and most distinctive of the rumah gadang (the traditional house and icon of West Sumatra). Pagaruyung is the name of the Minangkabau kingdom that ruled the central region of Sumatra, and was the seat of a large kingdom where the Minangkabau culture flourished.

Photo Courtesy by http://www.tourdesingkarak.com

Australian Jacob Kauffman wins Second Stage Tour de Singkarak 2013

Flagged off from the charming town of Payakumbuh as starting point, the 2^nd Stage of Tour de Singkarak 2013 took competing cyclists on a 124.5Km race to the enchanting Lake Singkarak in West Sumatra.

Clocking a total time of 3 hours and 1.05 minutes, Australian Jacob Kauffmann became the first to cross the finish line followed by team mate Karl Evans. Nur Amirul Fakhrudin of Trengganu Cycling Team took 3^rd place with a total time of 3 hours and 1.52 minutes.

Although winning the second stage, Jacob Kauffmann did not manage to take the Yellow Jersey (symbol of competition leader) which is still won by Hossein Askhari from theTabriz Team of Iran who was in 41st position in this Stage. Ashkari still topped the leadersboard in the Individual General Classification with a total time of 5 hours, 28 minutes and 55 seconds. 7 seconds behind him, and sitting in 2^nd position is Oscar Pujol Munoz followed by Alireza Asgharzadeh (also from Tabriz Petrochemical Cycling Team) in 3^rd place.

From Indonesia’s own athletes, Fatahilah Abdulah managed to cross the finish line in 7^th position with the total time of 3 hours 1 minute and 53 second.

In the team classification, Tabriz Petrochemical Cycling Team still leads the standings with the total time of 16:29:37 followed by Polygon Sweet Nice in second position with total time of 16:31:46, and Budget Forklifts in the 3^rd place with total time of 16:31:48.

Since the checkered flag was raised in front of the BNI office in Payakumbuh, cyclists were given a long sprint track until they reached the difficult kelok 9 (the nine hairpin curves) track at the Limapuluh Kota Regency. Here, racers are presented with a steep climb over 9 curving turns. Competition was fierce, while those with ascending track specialization quickly rose to the top.

The majestic Lake Singkarak – from which the competition received its name - is an enormous Crater Lake set within a dramatic volcanic landscape. Spread over two districts, namely Solok and Tanah Datar, theLake measures a massive 1,000 hectares. It is the widest lake in Sumatra and the second largest on the island after Lake Toba. A world of serene calm and breathtaking vistas awaits. Here you can embrace the remote natural beauty for which Indonesia is so famous.

The Third Stage to take place today, Tuesday, 4 June , is the longest track in this year’s competition, covering 208 kilometers starting at Padang Panjang with finish line at the Istana Basa (Grand Palace) Pagaruyung at Batu Sangkar.