Cross Hotels & Resorts, in collaboration with Discova, are proud to announce the launch of new brand “Kaura”, and the first of its kind “Kaura Bali”.  This immersive village experience is located in the lush hills of Karangasem, East Bali and developed in harmony with the environment, in direct partnership with the villagers of Subak Bakung. Kaura is the sixth brand from Cross Hotels & Resorts and is poised to transform the hospitality landscape.

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Tourism is a vital part of the Indonesian economy. We can illustrate this by taking a look at Indonesia’s biggest foreign exchange earners (referring to those sectors that attract most foreign currency).

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The tourism industry is among the most heavily disrupted industries in the COVID-19 crisis as restrictions made it difficult (sometimes even impossible) to travel while various tourist destinations had to close temporarily. Moreover, we assume that the psychological impact of the crisis on people is bigger than estimated (implying that people become less willing to travel to distant locations, in particular to emerging economies where healthcare is generally not at world-class standards).

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On Thursday (05.08.2021) Indonesia Investments released its July 2021 report. This 182-page report discusses a range of subjects - related to political developments, the economy and social matters that occurred in Indonesia in the month of July 2021.

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As is widely known, especially to those who have visited certain beaches in Bali, Indonesia needs to combat water pollution, and specifically plastic waste. While local authorities on Bali announced earlier this week to enact a ban on single-use plastics, such as shopping bags, styrofoam food packets and straws (while Jakarta may follow suit), Indonesia's Industry Ministry expressed it opposes an earlier plan to impose an excise tax on plastic bags.

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Starting from 2019 local authorities on Bali plan to impose a USD $10 levy on every foreign tourist who enters the popular tourist island. Meanwhile, the levy on the entry of a domestic tourist would be IDR 10,000 (approx. USD $0.70).

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Two international events are estimated to have a significant impact on the Indonesian economy in 2018. Firstly, the 2018 Asian Games, to be held from 18 August to 2 September 2018 in - and around - the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang. Secondly, the 2018 annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group, to be held in Nusa Dua, Bali, on 12-14 October 2018. Both events will trigger foreign exchange earnings and give rise to a boost in economic activity.

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Foreign visitor arrivals in Indonesia showed good growth in February 2018. Based on the latest data of Statistics Indonesia (BPS), a total of 1.2 million foreigners entered Indonesia for a short visit in the second month of 2018. This constitutes a 9.1 percent increase compared to the preceding month and a 17.4 percent increase compared to February one year ago.

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Last week Indonesia's Statistics Agency (BPS) announced that a total of 1,039,639 foreigners entered Indonesia in January 2018, down 6.19 percent year-on-year (y/y) from foreign visitor arrivals in the same month one year earlier. Indonesian Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said the main reason for this weak performance is the aftermath of the Mount Agung eruption, a volcano that is located on Bali (the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia).

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The hotel industry in Turkey is eager to have Indonesian migrant workers from Bali working at Turkish (3-5 star) hotels. Ilham Achmad, Head of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Placement, Protection and Monitoring Agency (BP3TKI)'s Bali branch, said Balinese workers are wanted by Turkish hotel operators because they are excellent workers for spa therapy services offered at these hotels.

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In Indonesian media it was reported that Sandiaga Uno, who is Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, stated that the country managed to collect a total of USD $10.46 billion in foreign exchange earnings from the tourism industry during the first three quarters of 2023.

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For me, G20 summits were always interesting occasions as the leaders of the world’s strongest economies gather to discuss plans to move forward. This year, however, it was the first time that I was quite reluctant to follow the summit (despite the 2022 edition being organized on the Indonesian island of Bali).

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As we have discussed in earlier reports and articles, the tourism industry is among the heaviest affected industries amid the COVID-19 crisis. Travel restrictions (such as mandatory COVID-19 tests and vaccines) and in some cases full travel bans set by governments across the world are discouraging people from traveling.

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At the 50th anniversary of the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association in mid-February 2019, Indonesian President Joko Widodo emphasized that the tourism industry should become the biggest industry in Indonesia in terms of foreign exchange earnings. Indonesia – a huge Archipelago that consists of more than 17.000 islands – has so much to offer to (foreign) tourists, such as beautiful beaches and countryside, flora & fauna, diving spots, wildlife, culture, culinary, historic relics as well as vibrant city life. However, so far, it fails to tap its full potential.

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After having successfully hosted the 2018 Asian Games last September, Indonesia hosted the 2018 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group on Bali on 8-14 October. Every year, the IMF and World Bank organize these meetings to discuss the latest financial and economic developments that occurred across the globe, while also poverty eradication and other key global issues – such as protectionism and climate change - are placed high on the agenda. The main themes of this year’s meetings include digital development and investing in human capital, which resulted in the “Bali Fintech Agenda” as well as the launch of “Human Capital Index”.

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Saturday 17 March 2018 is a public holiday in Indonesia. On this day the Hindu community of Indonesia, which mostly lives on the island of Bali, celebrates Nyepi i.e. the Day of Silence or the Hindu New Year in the Balinese Saka calendar. As Nyepi is a day of self-reflection for the Indonesian Hindu community, activities come to a near complete standstill from 6 am to 6 pm. Local rules instruct that Hindus are not allowed to light fires (or lamps), work, eat, talk, nor are they allowed to be engaged in any sort of other entertainment.

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The tourism industry of Indonesia is one of the most important industries in terms of the nation's foreign exchange earnings. However, compared to its neighboring countries - specifically Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand - Indonesia lags behind in terms of foreign visitor arrivals. This "failure" is partly attributed to the weak state of Indonesia's infrastructure. This includes the lack of enough airports or the lack of enough aircraft and passenger handling capacity at existing airports.

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For the third time Indihome Prambanan Jazz will be held this year on 18-19 August 2017. A line up of international musicians, including Shane Filan and Sarah Brightman, are scheduled to entertain thousands of music lovers in a charming setting in front of the Prambanan Temple complex near the city of Yogyakarta (Java).

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Around the globe there are plenty of fraudulent investment scams offered to investors (for example the "ponzi scheme", "pump and dump", and many others). This also occurs in Indonesia, or, related to Indonesia. Perpetrators can be Indonesian or foreign. In case of foreigners, the offshore investing scheme is a popular scheme (and a fairly simple one in the era of Internet). Criminals offer victims a lucrative investment opportunity in Indonesia, promising big profits. However, investors will never see their money again.

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Indonesia's Tourism Ministry is optimistic it can boost the number of American tourists who visit Indonesia by 25 percent to 375,000 individuals in 2017. Last year a total of 300,000 US citizens visited Indonesia for a holiday, up 11 percent year-on-year (y/y) from US visitor arrivals in the preceding year. Arief Yahya, Indonesian Tourism Minister, said the island of Bali is the favorite tourist destination for American tourists in Indonesia.

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