Saudi King extends vacation in Bali: Police

[Nike]

Saudi King extends vacation in Bali: Police
Selasa, 7 Maret 2017 17:30 WIB - 0 Views

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. (ANTARA/Widodo S. Jusuf)

Denpasar (ANTARA News) - The Bali Police have informed the press that Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud has extended his vacation in Bali until Mar 12, from Mar 9 as earlier scheduled.

The police received a copy of the letter sent by the Saudi embassy in Jakarta to the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Hengky Widjaja said here, Tuesday.

In the letter, the Saudi embassy informed the ministry that the King and his entourage will extend their holiday in the worlds most famous resort island of Bali until March 12, 2017, with the duration of their stay now being eight days.

Despite intensified security efforts, the activities of King al-Saud and his entourage while vacationing in Bali have been kept firmly under wraps to safeguard their privacy.

The Saudi King, who is accompanied by 25 princes as part of his 1.5 thousand-member entourage, has booked five luxury hotels located on the beaches lining the Indian Ocean.

The hotels include St Regis, Mulia, and Lagoon located in Nusa Dua, Badung District, and Bulgari in Uluwatu, also in Badung District.

The beaches around those hotels have a fencing of bamboo covered with white cloth.

The Saudi King and his entourage are enjoying a vacation in Bali after paying a state visit to Jakarta on Mar 1-3.

The visit is considered to be historical as a Saudi king had lasted visited Indonesia 47 years ago.

(Reported by Dewa Wiguna/Uu.F001/INE/KR-BSR)
Editor: Priyambodo RH

COPYRIGHT © ANTARA 2017


http://m.antaranews.com/en/news/109788/saudi-king-extends-vacation-in-bali-police

apparently his majesty found a second home in Bali

 

[katarabhumi]

What Really Makes Saudi King Convenient to Extend Vacation in Indonesia
Thursday, 09 March 2017

JAKARTA, NETRALNEWS.COM - A sense of calm, comfort, and happiness while holidaying in Indonesia has prompted King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and the royal family from Saudi Arabia to stay longer on the island resort of Bali.Tourism Minister Arief Yahya received confirmation that King Salman has decided to extend his vacation period until Mar 12, from March 9, as earlier scheduled.

Along with about 1.5 thousand delegates, including 25 princes and 14 ministers, the Saudi King arrived in Bali on Mar 4 for a six-day vacation until Mar 9, but then he decided to stay until March 12. Arriving at the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, the king was welcomed with the Balinese traditional Pendet dance, followed by Gamelan, the traditional music of Bali.

The welcome dance was performed by 50 children from Sanggar Tari Sawitri, a dance studio promoted by Bali's culture department. Pendet is typically performed by young girls, carrying bowls of flower petals, handfuls of which are tossed into the air at various times during the dance.

The girls wore several colors of Balinese authentic gold print fabric, which were wrapped tightly from the chest to ankle while leaving the area from the top of the chest to the head exposed, creating gorgeous layers of color. The gamelan, Bali's traditional orchestra, led the dancers with its vibrant musical arrangement.

Performing Pendet dance in front of the Saudi King and delegates is expected to promote the Balinese art and tradition in order to boost local tourism. The king is also scheduled to visit some popular tourist attractions, such as the Besakih Temple and Tanah Lot, and thus, he has extended his vacation until Mar 12.

According to Minister Yahya, extending the duration of his stay to eight days demonstrates that the king is feeling at ease while vacationing in Indonesia. "We thank King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud for extending the family holiday in Bali, Indonesia's tourism icon, and this indicates that he feels comfortable, calm, and happy to be on the Island of Paradise," the tourism minister remarked.

Further, Yahya added that the Ministry of Tourism has recommended some other interesting places in Bali that can be visited by the royal family of Saudi Arabia. The tourism minister asserted that five to eight days are not sufficient to fully enjoy all the scenic locations in Bali and beyond.

"We will continue to recommend places worthy and fit for a visit by the royal family of Saudi Arabia, as just five to eight days is not sufficient to explore Bali and beyond," Yahya remarked.

The Tourism Ministry will offer 10 new priority destinations similar to Bali and will work on their branding, with the hope that King Salman will probably be keen to invest more in the tourism sector in Indonesia.

Yahya expressed hope that the Saudi King's visit to Bali for a vacation could have a positive impact through the promotion of tourism in Indonesia. In addition, the tourism minister expressed hope that the momentum offered by King Salman's visit can be capitalized by areas that are halal tourism destinations.

The halal tourism sector is considered to be growing so rapidly that every side has to respond to this potential to develop business in such a field. The Muslim population worldwide, it is estimated, will increase by 26 percent of the total population in 2030, giving opportunities to halal tourism sector to keep growing.

Halal tourism is a subcategory of tourism which is geared towards Muslim families who abide by sharia rules of Islam. Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey and many more countries are trying to attract Muslim tourists from all over the world offering facilities in accordance with the religious beliefs of Muslim tourists.

Regions in Indonesia which could serve as halal tourism icon are Aceh, West Java, West Sumatra, South Sulawesi, and West Nusa Tenggara, among other things. The province of West Nusa Tenggara is among several Indonesian regions that can become an icon of halal tourism but the halal certification process for hotels and restaurants in the province is still lacking.

The Lombok Island in West Nusa Tenggara has been recognized as the world's best halal tourism and honeymoon destination, a feat that should have led to shoring up of halal certification for hotels and restaurants in the province.

Data from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of West Nusa Tenggara indicated that 300 hotels and restaurants in the province have not obtained halal certification that would have helped them attract tourists from Middle Eastern and other Muslim countries.

West Nusa Tenggara MUI Chairman Saiful Muslim explained in the provincial city of Mataram that hotels and restaurant owners were apprehensive that the halal certification could lead to a fall in the number of guests.

The fact, however, is that almost all the hotels and restaurants in a number of developed countries such as Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand that have long been certified as halal, have never been short of guests.

An important reason for the trend for halal tourism certification in Indonesia is that Muslims are now spending more and more on tourism activities. By supporting halal certification, Indonesia aims to be a favored holiday destination for tourists from Muslim countries around the world.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority country but this does not mean that the community and the tourism operators do not require halal certification.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya has said the notion that Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, and therefore every thing is already halal so halal certification is not required is wrong. "The truth is that we need certification for halal tourism in Indonesia to provide services of international standards."

http://www.en.netralnews.com/news/c...ng.convenient.to.extend.vacation.in.indonesia