Gaza Resist

Indonesia’s premier tourism resort, Bali, is clicking back into gear after the global downturn slowed recovery from damaging terror attacks. In 2010, authorities are confident that increasing visitor numbers will bring greater revenues and sustainable development to the region.

In August 2010, The Jakarta Post reported that Australian tourist numbers to Bali had increased by 50 percent for the first seven months of the year compared to the same period of last year. This is good news for the island resort given the importance of the Australian market to the region’s tourism industry.

This news comes on the back of impressive half-year results for Bali. According to the Central Statistics Agency, 1.17m people visited Bali in the first six months of 2010, up from 1.07m in the first half of 2009, representing an increase of 9.52 percent Tourism numbers from Singapore, Taiwan, the UK and the Netherlands have all increased, suggesting that the island is not only getting over the 18-month hiatus caused by the slowdown in the global economy but also the stigma from terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2005.

Indeed, Bali has developed a stellar international reputation. In August 2010, the island picked up the title of “The Best Leisure Destination in Asia Pacific”, bestowed upon it by the readers of Business Traveller Magazine, published in Hong Kong, to go along with the title of “Best Island in the World”, which the US magazine Travel and Leisure named Bali for nine consecutive years between 2001 and 2009.

The New York Times best-selling novel Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert, was also recently made

into a movie by the same name and was one of Hollywood’s major summer releases. Starring Julia

Roberts, the film was largely filmed in Bali, which is only likely to enhance its reputation as an island paradise further.

Given the below-par showing of the Indonesian tourism industry in 2009, this is welcome news. While tourist numbers on the archipelago were slightly up last year, the revenue generated by the industry was down by 14.6 percent. The average expenditure per person per visit fell from US$1,179 in 2008 to $996 in 2009. Furthermore, with the average length of stay falling, the hospitality industry in the country was undoubtedly bruised.

As tourism accounts for approximately 30 percent of gross regional domestic product in Bali, the half-year figures will have many in the region breathing a sigh of relief. According to the ASEAN Hotel Review by STR Global, Bali’s hospitality industry recorded the highest occupancy rates of any region in Indonesia, hitting 71 percent for the first six months of the year, an increase of 7.8 percent on the first half of 2009. The island’s hotels also saw revenue per available room increase by 19.3 percent and the average daily rate increase by 10.7 percent to $121, the highest in the country.

Given the competitive nature of the hospitality industry on the island, it was desperate for a successful 2010. The region already has more than 50,000 hotel rooms, and this is only likely to increase over the coming years. According to a report by Colliers International in mid-2009, the island has at least 10 new hotel resorts planned for the years 2009 to 2012, the majority of which are targeting the higher end of the market. This will bring even greater competition to the five-star segment, which already accounts for 48 percent of Bali’s hotel room supply, according to Colliers.

Bali’s hotel building boom seems to reflect the wider Indonesian market, which has 53 hotels in the pipeline, the second highest in the region behind Thailand. While such investment should signal a flourishing tourism industry and growing tourism receipts for the government’s coffers, there remain some notes of caution.

Indeed, the government is keen to ensure that such success does not come at a price, especially for the highly-rated natural paradise of Bali. Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya, the chairman of the Bali Tourism Board, told the Jakarta Post that if conditions of rapid building and poor infrastructure persist, Bali will become known as a budget destination, a reputation that the authorities have painstakingly avoided up until now.

While the sight of tourists flooding back to Indonesia’s headline island should signal good news for

the regional economy, the government is still striving to ensure that Bali’s reputation does not become tarnished by overdevelopment and that a high volume of visitors does not diminish the high returns of tourism receipts.

European equities markets were mixed Thursday after the European Central Bank held Eurozone interest rates at 1 percent and issued a higher growth outlook for the region, while Sweden’s central bank hiked rates there to 0.75 percent from 0.5 percent, the second consecutive increase from Riksbank.

Better economic news from the US helped gains in some markets as the US Labor Department reported that first-time unemployment claims in the US fell 6,000 last week to 472,000, while the National Association of Realtors said that pending home sales rose 5.2 percent in July.

The FTSE 100 was up 0.09 percent to 5,371.04 in London, while the FTSE 250 added 0.8 percent to 10,140.97.

The travel and leisure was mostly higher, led by a gain of 7.08 percent for public transport company Go-Ahead Group (LSE: GOG), while restaurants and pubs operator Restaurant Group (LSE: RTN) added 6.17 percent, hotels and restaurants operator Whitbread (LSE: WTB) was 3.7 percent higher and cruise ships operator Carnival (LSE: CCL) gained 3.01 percent.

There were only two decliners in the sector, as brewer and pubs operator Marston’s (LSE: MARS) was up 0.78 percent and caterer Compass Group (LSE: CPG) gained 1.2 percent.

The best performer on the 100 was Man Group (LSE: EMG), which added 5.77 percent after Numis raised its recommendation on the investment manager from “reduce“ to “buy, while the best performance on the 250 and in London came from Yell Group (LSE: YELL) on rumors that the directories publisher could be for sale.

Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW) dropped 4.13 percent for the biggest decline on the 100 and in London and the worst performance in the energy sector, while wind turbine gearbox manufacturer Hansen Transmissions International (LSE: HSN) had the best day in the sector, gaining 4.12 percent.

COLT Group (LSE: COLT) was the biggest loser on the 250, falling 3.53 percent, while Cable & Wireless Worldwide (LSE: CW) was 2.99 percent lower.

Autonomy Group (LSE: AU) added 5.21 percent on rumors that the software manufacturer could be the focus of a bidding war between Microsoft (NAS: MSFT) and Oracle (NAS: ORCL), while aerospace and defense contractor BAE Systems (LSE: BA) gained 3.74 percent after it won a contract worth $629 million to update its Caiman MRAP armored vehicles.

Miners were mixed on the session, with Talvivaara Mining Company (LSE: TALV) up 4.28 percent for the best performance in the sector while Gem Diamonds (LSE: GEMD) had the worst day in the sector, falling 2.99 percent.

Some miners dropped on analyst downgrades from Citigroup, which cut both Lonmin (LSE: LMI) and African Barrick Gold (LSE: ABG) from “buy” to “hold” and downgraded Hochschild Mining (LSE: HOC) from “hold” to “sell”.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was down 0.06 percent to 1,055.04 while the Dax fell just 0.05 of a point to 6,083.85 and the IBEX was down 0.07 percent to 10,537.6 but the CAC-40 was up 0.21 percent to 3,631.43.

Markets in the Asia-Pacific region saw gains on new investor confidence after US manufacturing activity grew more than expected in August, and after yesterday’s big advances on Wall Street.

The Nikkei 225 was up 1.52 percent to 9,062.84 in Tokyo, while the Topix index added 0.99 percent to 819.42, but the Mothers market dropped 1.09 percent to 364.05.

Camera and copier maker Canon (TYO: 7751) added 1.2 percent while consumer electronics giant Sony (TYO: 6758) was up 2.2 percent.

Among carmakers, Honda Motor (TYO: 7267) was 1.9 percent higher while Nissan Motors (TYO: 7201) gained 3 percent.

Japan Petroleum Exploration (TYO: 1662) was up 1.1 percent and Inpex Corp (TYO: 1605) added 3 percent on gains in oil prices yesterday.

Elsewhere in the region, the Straits Times Index was 0.13 percent higher to 2,986.66 in Singapore while India’s Sensex added 0.18 percent to 18,238.31, the Kospi was up 0.63 percent to 1,775.73 in South Korea and Taiwan’s Taiex gained 0.69 percent to 7,720.82.

The Sydney Ordinaries added 0.8 percent to 4,563 in Australia, while the S&P/ASX200 was up 0.82 percent to 4,532.7.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was 1.19 percent higher to 20,868.92 while the Shanghai Composite added 1.25j percent to 2,655.78 on gains for China’s carmakers after car sales there were reported to have gone up by 55.7 percent in August over last year’s sales.

Wall Street was mixed in early afternoon trade, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.38 of a point to 10,269.09 but the S&P 500 had added 0.32 percent to 1,083.79 and the Nasdaq Composite was 0.45 percent higher to 2,186.69.

Prices for crude oil and metals were higher in afternoon trade in New York.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The top Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip rejected compromise with Israel in a fiery speech Wednesday, a day after gunmen killed four Israelis in a strong reminder that the Islamic militant group cannot be ignored in any Mideast deal.

President Barack Obama denounced the West Bank ambush as he launched a two-day summit marking the first Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in nearly two years.

“The message should go out to Hamas and everyone else who is taking credit for these heinous crimes that this is not going to stop us,” he said after greeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

Hamas has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s shootings, a vivid reminder that the Iranian-backed group may be locked out of the peace negotiations but remains a key player in determining their outcome.

Late Wednesday, gunmen wounded two Israelis in a drive-by shooting in the northern West Bank, the military said.

Assailants in a car overtook an Israeli vehicle and then opened fire, seriously wounding an Israeli man.

’Unprecedented’ challenge to save Chilean miners

SAN JOSE MINE, Chile — The effort to save 33 men trapped deep in a Chilean mine is an unprecedented challenge, mining safety experts said Tuesday. It means months of drilling, then a harrowing three-hour trip in a cage up a narrow hole carved through solid rock.

If all of that is successful, the freed men will emerge from the earth and “feel born again,” said an American miner who was part of a group dramatically rescued in 2002 with similar techniques. But that rescue pulled men from a spot only one-tenth as deep.

“They’re facing the most unusual rescue that has ever been dealt with,” said Dave Feickert, director of KiaOra, a mine safety consulting firm in New Zealand that has worked to improve China’s dangerous mines. “Every one of these rescues presents challenging issues. But this one is unique.”

Archaeologists say they have unearthed Iron Age temple

AMMAN, Jordan — Archaeologists in Jordan have unearthed a 3,000-year-old Iron Age temple with a trove of figurines of ancient deities and circular clay vessels used for religious rituals, officials said.

The head of the Jordanian Antiquities Department, Ziad al-Saad, said the sanctuary dates to the eighth century B.C. and was discovered at Khirbat ’Ataroz near the town of Mabada, some 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of the capital Amman.

He said the complex boasts a main room that measures 388 square feet (36 square meters), as well as two antechambers and an open courtyard.

The sanctuary and its artifacts — hewn from limestone and basalt or molded from clay and bronze — show the complex religious rituals of Jordan’s ancient biblical Moabite kingdom, according to al-Saad.

“Today we have the material evidence, the archaeological proof of the level of advancement of technology and civilization at that period of time,” he said.

Video: Captured Mexican drug lord knew top capos

MEXICO CITY — A former Texas high school football player and petty street dealer who allegedly rose to become one of Mexico’s most savage assassins says he personally knew the country’s top drug lords and shipped cocaine from Colombia through Panama.

In a video released by Mexico’s federal police, Edgar Valdez Villarreal, known as “the Barbie” for his fair complexion and green eyes, also told his interrogators that he transported cash hidden in trailers and spent $200,000 to make a film based on his life.

The suspect — he once owned a bar in Acapulco called “XXXoticas” — decided not to release the movie because it might reveal too much information.

The Couples Resorts chain has reason to celebrate. For the second year running, all four Couples Resorts properties are ranked on Travel + Leisure’s Top 25 World’s Best List for resorts in the Caribbean.

These are Couples Tower Isle and Couples Sans Souci, both in St Mary; and Couples Swept Away and Couples Negril, both in Negril, Westmoreland.

This makes Couples the first all-inclusive resort chain to have all its properties listed in the prestigious magazine’s top 25 list for two years

Running.

The recently refurbished and renamed Couples Tower Isle (formerly Couples Ocho Rios) comes out best of the four, being ranked at number four. It leads Couples Swept Away and Couples Sans Souci in the top 10, the two being ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, while Couples Negril is ranked 19th.

Additionally, the Swept Away and Negril properties are making the list for the fourth consecutive year. Tower Isle and Sans Souci are on the list for two years running.

For specialised services, there is also great news for three of the properties: Sans Souci, Negril and Swept Away. Thousands of travellers have ranked the hotels first, second and third, respectively, on the World’s Best Spa, as listed by Travel + Leisure.

The latest news comes just a month after all four properties made the World’s Best Service list, announced by Travel + Leisure in July.

Dubbed the Caribbean’s most inclusive all-inclusive, all Couples resorts include a wide array of services, including beachfront locations, water sports, swim-up pool bars, Wi-Fi and Internet cafes, cooking and dance classes, among other entertainment options.

BKWine has just been named one of the world’s best wine tour organisers by TravelAndLeisure (T+L). In their latest web feature T+L lists the “World’s Top Wine Tours” and BKWine is one of a handful of travel operators selected by Travel and Leisure. T+L singles out BKWine as the tour operator who is best for the traveller who wants to meet the winemakers and who wants to have a personal and unique experience.

Britt Karlsson, founder of BKWine, comments: “We were very excited, happy and honoured when we heard that we had been selected by Travel and Leisure. What T+L says also underlines the things that we work hard to achieve: that our travellers should get a very personal and unique experience. I personally visit some 200 different wineries and winemakers every year so I know where the visits will be exceptional. And in a way, it makes me especially proud that an American travel magazine has selected us, a Swedish tour organiser, as one of the world leaders on wine tours!”

BKWine is a Paris (France) based Swedish niche tour organiser specialised in wine and food tours. BKWine organises around 30 wine and gastronomy tours each year to destinations in France, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Portugal and other wine regions. The wine tours are designed both for the enjoyment of individual wine lovers and wine enthusiasts, as well as for professional training and corporate events. All tours are led by BKWine’s wine experts and take the traveller “behind the scene” of the vineyards.

BKWine AB is run by Britt and Per Karlsson and has four main activities:

- Wine & food tours

- Wine journalism

- Wine photography

- Wine consulting

BKWine was founded in the 90s by Britt Karlsson, a Swede living in Paris. In the early ’00s she was joined by her husband Per Karlsson in the business that now encompasses several different wine related activates. The main business is organising wine tours for wine enthusiasts and wine professionals who want to visit wine regions to learn more about wine. Each year BKWine organises some 30 wine tours. BKWine also publishes an online newsletter on wine, The BKWine Brief, which reaches some 20,000 subscribers. Britt and Per are members of the British Circle of Wine Writers (CWW), the International Wine Writers Federation (FIJEV), the French Wine Press Association (APV), the International Wine and Food Society (IWFS) and several other wine and gastronomic organisations.

Oberoi Hotels

Addressing the Sixtieth Annual General Meeting of EIH Limited (the flagship Company of The Oberoi Group) held in Kolkata today, P.R.S. Oberoi, Chairman stated, “The Oberoi, Mumbai which was destroyed by the terrorists in November, 2008 re-opened on 24th April, 2010.  The Oberoi, Mumbai has been well received by guests”.  Oberoi also said, “The Oberoi, Mumbai is now amongst the best in the region”.

Oberoi added, “Travel + Leisure, a leading  international travel magazine, has, in a readers’ poll, ranked one of the Company’s hotels as the Best Hotel in the World; four Oberoi Hotels have been ranked as number 1, 2, 3 and 4 Best in Asia and four Oberoi Hotels have been ranked in the first 15 in the world.  No hotel company has received such distinction in the past. The above honours bear testimony to the levels of excellence and service standards that the Company has strived to maintain”.

Oberoi also said, “The demand for hotel rooms in India should grow in this Financial Year. Whilst room rates should begin to improve, margins are likely to be under strain due to high inflation. Appropriate measures have been taken to contain costs, wherever possible, while ensuring service excellence”.

The difficult financial landscape of 2009-2010 impacted the Company’s performance during that Financial Year.  As a result:

Total Revenue for the year ended 31st March, 2010 was  Rs. 9.07bn as compared to Rs. 1078.47 crores in the previous year;

The Profit before Tax  was Rs. 889.9mn as compared to Rs. 2.73bn in the previous year;

he Profit after Tax was Rs. 57.23 crores as compared to Rs. 1.70bn in the previous year.

Nonetheless, the previous year’s Dividend of Rs. 1.20 per share had been maintained.

The operating results of the first quarter in this Financial Year are better than that of the first quarter in the previous Financial Year, without considering the estimated income from insurance claims accounted for in the previous Financial Year.

Thus:

Total Income for the first quarter increased from Rs.166.39 crores to Rs.205.16 crores. This represents an increase of 23.3%.

The Earnings before Interest, Depreciation, Taxation and Amortisation (“EBITDA”)   increased   from   Rs. 15.78 crores to Rs. 25.95 crores. This represents an increase of nearly 65%.

Mr. Oberoi further added, “On 12th July, 2010, we opened our first overseas Flight Kitchen venture at Mauritius. The Kitchen is owned through a wholly owned subsidiary. The 10,000 meals per day capacity Kitchen has cost us approximately US $ 24 million”.

Oberoi pointed out that the Company had completed the following projects/acquisitions:

On 30th June, 2010 EIH International Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of  EIH Limited completed the acquisition of the 45.85% equity interest of Amex Investment Limited in its international hotels Joint Venture Company EIH Holdings Limited for US $ 45 million. With this acquisition, EIH Holdings Limited was now a wholly owned subsidiary of EIH International Limited.

The 440 key Trident at Bandra Kurla, Mumbai opened on 1st December, 2009. The hotel had been well received and occupancies were stabilising.

The opening of Trident, Bandra Kurla, Mumbai and the much anticipated successful re-opening of The Oberoi, Mumbai will ensure that the Company had the requisite inventory of rooms to cater to future demand.

The status of other projects on hand is as follows:

The Oberoi, Gurgaon consisting of 202 keys was expected to open during the fourth quarter of the current Financial Year.

Construction of the 103 key Trident hotel at Dehradun was on schedule. The hotel was expected to open in the spring of 2012.

Construction of the 229 key Oberoi hotel at Cyber City, Hyderabad was under way. This was in addition to a 323 key Trident hotel also under construction at the adjacent site. Both hotels were expected to open in phases beginning in the summer of 2012.

Construction of the 252 key Oberoi hotel in Dubai located at Business Bay was progressing. The hotel is expected to commence operations in the last quarter of 2011 or in the first quarter of 2012.

Planning had commenced on Oberoi hotels in Abu Dhabi and in Oman.

Planning for The Oberoi, Marrakech, Morocco is under way.

Management Contracts for a hotel at Scorpio Bay, Greece and a second Oberoi hotel in Mauritius have been signed.

The new Flight Kitchen in Delhi was expected to be operational in March 2011.

The Flight Kitchen at Cochin was expected to be commissioned shortly; while the Calicut Flight Kitchen was expected to commence operations in early 2011.

In conclusion Oberoi further stated, “The last two and half years have been challenging due to the global financial crisis and the terrorist attack on Mumbai in November 2008. I am confident that we have the trained work force and the commitment to meet the challenges of the future and emerge stronger and more profitable”.

Hollywood has long invested public dollars in promoting itself as a destination distinct from Fort Lauderdale. Lately, it has gotten a few boosts: an urban arts-themed park that opened in 2007; a 2009 designation from Fodor’s as one of the country’s best beach spots for families and, most recently, a spot in the top 5 best beach boardwalks in America, according to Travel + Leisure magazine.

A TV commercial showing locally and nationally through the fall trumpets Hollywood as “Florida’s hometown beach town,” part of the city’s $690,000 promotional effort to attract its target family market.

“The beaches are beautiful, the Broadwalk is very nice,” said Heike Beck, regional vice president for tour operator New World Travel, which works with German tourists. “For families with kids, it’s the perfect place.”

The U.S.-based operator said a very small percentage of its Florida business is in Hollywood, but tourism manager Judy Erickson said the city is trying to cultivate more relationships with operators who can promote the destination internationally.

Hollywood focuses more on television and online advertising than print, predominantly targeting areas like New York, New Jersey, Chicago and Boston.

Minutes from Port Everglades, the city is positioning itself as a pre- and post- cruise destination. The city partnered with Royal Caribbean this year to market Hollywood as a shore excursion for passengers who are flying late out of Fort Lauderdale after disembarking, said Erickson.

With a mix of dozens of independent mom-and-pop hotels and a handful of large full-service resorts like the high-end Westin Diplomat, Hollywood has budget-friendly options as well as beach vacation splurges. Jimmy Buffett fans have something to look forward to as well: a Margaritaville resort is slated to open on the beach in late 2013.

Donna Boucher owns the beachfront Manta Ray Inn and serves as executive director of the Superior Small Lodging Association of Florida, which has certified 28 hotels in Hollywood. She said the city is ideally located between better-known destinations in the region — with its own character.

“We’re not built up like South Beach or Fort Lauderdale Beach.”

– HANNAH SAMPSON

HOLLYWOOD

Population: 141,000

The draw: Beaches, classic boardwalk, arts-themed park, nature habitats, downtown shopping and dining area, mix of major large and independent small hotels

The pitch: Hometown beach town

Budget: $690,000

Who pays: City’s Community Redevelopment Agency

Challenge: Luring international travelers

Travel on major U.S. airlines fell roughly 1 percent in July with one key measure of revenue growth slowing, according to an industry trade group that also said the sector’s finances remain fragile.

The Air Transport Association (ATA) said on Thursday that roughly 1 percent fewer passengers traveled on the biggest domestic carriers last month although fares were higher, helping airlines improve their bottom line.

July is traditionally one of the busiest months for airlines due to summer holiday travel. The revenue picture normally grows tougher as carriers get into fall when travel usually drops off.

A closely watched revenue measurement — the average price to fly one mile — rose 17 percent last month compared with the year-ago period, lower than June’s increase of 22 percent.

Analysts expected an average revenue decline although traffic is up and flights are running nearly full.

“Demand for air travel remains well above last year’s depressed levels, but the industry is mindful of cautionary notes about the health of the overall economy,” said James May, ATA president.

Airline shares were broadly weaker on Thursday with the ARCA Airline Index .XAL off 3.78 percent.

Separately on Thursday, the ATA released its 2010 economic report and said the sector remained fragile and its outlook for profits uncertain.

“Put simply, the U.S. airline industry continues to be confronted by a systematic inability to cover its cost of investor capital or … to exceed break-even profitability on a sustainable basis,” the report said.

Carriers posted much better results in the second quarter on higher revenue from premium paying business customers and cost reductions partly realized from capacity cuts imposed during the 2008/09 industry downturn.

The outlook overall is certainly brighter than last year, prompting United Airlines, a unit of UAL Corp (UAUA.O), and Continental Airlines (CAL.N) to propose a merger that is expected to close before the end of 2010.