Bali has a population of more than 3 million people with 370,000 living in the coastal area in the capital of Denpasar.  Home to a rich and vibrant cultural tradition, Bali deserves to be a favourite pick for MICE events for its relaxed backdrop that is surrounded by beautiful beaches, superb volcanic craters, magnificent terraced rice fields and a vibrant art scene.

MICE delegate will appreciate its extensive range of international meeting facilities, world-class hotels and mouth-watering cuisines.  With an abundant of recreational activities, options include mountain cycling, horseback riding, elephant safaris, paintball competitions, self-drive touring, as well as explorations with a personal driver and guide.

Artists and artisans celebrate the art scene with some of the notable art works that come alive with inspiration and expression of emotions. Art galleries showcasing the fascinating art work and some of the charming handicraft pieces have attracted visitors from all around the world.  The famous Balinese dance performed daily is worth watching for MICE delegate looking for an entertainment activity.

The possibilities of a MICE event are unlimited as Bali makes an ideal destination for an organisation planning a formal meeting or a relaxing vacation with colleagues.  

Bali has a long chain of history from the ice-age era (per-historic time) to modern, global civilization era.

The pre-historic marked the oldest and simplest way of life, an era of hunting and food-stuff gathering, verified by the discovery of several tools and hunting equipments. In the following era there were also building construction system and a particular communication system. These were just proofs of the existence and further development of Balinese culture. The Balinese culture flourished that nowadays one can indicates a perfect bonds between religions, tradition and culture to become the identity of the Balinese community.

Location
Among 17,500 islands across the Indonesian archipelago, Bali is one of the 33 provinces of the Republic of Indonesia, the largest archipelagic country in the world, made up of 2 million km2 of land with a chain of islands stretching over 500,000 km from Sumatra to Papua, and covers territorial waters of more than 5million km2.

Situated between Java and Lombok, the island of Bali is located 8 to 9 degrees south of the equator with the Java Sea to the north, the Indian Ocean to the south.

Land Area
Bali covers an area of 5,636 km2 or 0.29% of Indonesia, measuring just 90km long the north-south axis and less than about 140km from west to east.

Climate
With sunshine shining throughout the year, Bali has a tropical monsoon climate, with pleasant day temperatures between 20 to 33 degrees Celsius or 68 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rainy season starts from October to March, when the West monsoon brings heavy showers and high humidity. June to September is considered the driest season, with low humidity and it can be fairly cold in the evenings, the best time for any outdoor activities.

 

People
Bali's population of over 3 million spread over the whole island, including those in the smaller islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan, Nusa Lembongan, Serangan and Menjangan Island.

The overwhelming majority of Balinese are Hindus, with the increasing number on non-Hindu migrating from the closest neighboring islands of Java and Lombok.

The coastal areas in the south are the most populous area with over 370,000 people living in various professions in the capital of Denpasar.

Farming has been the primary way of living in Balinese life. Where else fishing, trading and craftsmanship are also in fashion from generation to generation. Yet with the fast growing of tourism since past few decades, young people start to build up a new touch in their living culture.

Life in Bali is very communal under the organization of villages. Temple ceremonies, marriage, cremation, farming and even the creative art festivals are decided by the local community institution called "Banjar”.

Religion
Outside of India, Bali is the largest Hindu outpost in the world. The Balinese learn, practice and have the spirit of Hindu Dharma religion more than other form of animistic and primitive religions.

The Balinese call their religion Agama Tirta ("Science of the Holy Water"), an interpretation of religious ideas from China, India, and Java. Agama Tirta is much closer to the earth and very much different from Hinduism practiced in India.

Language
Three languages are spoken on Bali: Balinese and its dialects, Indonesian, and a kind of Old Javanese called Kawi.
Bahasa Indonesian is now spoken and taught at school, and children from six years onwards are thus brought up bilingually with a stress on Indonesian. English and Japanese are also commonly heard in Bali, due to the high influx of Japanese and English speaking tourists to the island.

Government
The republic of Indonesia is headed by the President, who is both the head of state and head of government and of a democratic multi-party system.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been the President of Indonesia since 2004.

Bali is one of the 33 provinces of Indonesia, with Denpasar as its capital.

The most populous area of the island the southern part Bali is where most jobs are to be found, mostly in the hotel or tourist industry, aside from the major farming industry.

Smaller scales of home businesses are also in the trend such as textile or garment, handicrafts and souvenirs, providing Bali's economy with more than 200,000 jobs, and exports have been increasing around 6,7% (data August 2006 – August 2007) valued at around US$ 380 million.

Of the total foreign exchange earners, textiles and garments contribute about 27,4% and wood products including statues, furniture and other handicrafts 18,2%. Silver work is ranked third 0,41% with 4,500 workers employed. And this sector keep growing steadily with target market widely open on the US, Europe and Japan.

Rice has become an important agricultural product besides vegetables, fruits, coffee, copra, vanilla, soy beans and chilies. Most recently vineyards also can be found along the north coast line. Meanwhile fishing and seaweed farming are also important commodities for foreign markets. It is interesting to observe the ability of the people of Bali in coping with the globalization era which acquires professional skills.

Key Statistics of Bali

Gross Domestic Regional Product (GDP) as of 2006	4062 million USD
Constant 2000 Prices:	2411 million USD
Per Capita expenditure	508 USD
Per capita GDP Ranking	(of Indonesia) 158*
Annual Growth (%)	6.11%
Inflation Rate in 2006	5.91

*Source: CIA The World Fact book, All other information from Statistics Indonesia

External trade of Bali for year 2006:

Total Exports	298.6 million USD
Total Imports	27.8 million USD
Balance of Trade	270.8 milion USD

Source: Bali Dalam Angka/ Bali in Figures 2007

Major trading partners:
United States of America, the Republic of Singapore, Australia Japan, and People’s Republic of China, England.

Employment in year 2006
6.04%

QUICK FACTS for visitors

Access to Bali
By Plane
Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport is one of Indonesia's main tourist gateways and is served by the national flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, on its internatinal and domestic routes as well as by 12 international airlines on scheduled services and charters.

Ngurah Rai International Airport is situated in the south of the island, not far from the resorts of Kuta, Nusa Dua and Sanur.

From Singapore, there are daily direct flights on Indonesia's national carrier, Garuda Indonesia, and Singapore Airlines.

From Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), both MAS and Garuda operate direct flights and similarly, from Hong Kong with Garuda and Cathay Pacific.

From Bangkok, Thai International and Qantas fly to Bali direct. While Royal Brunei flies to the island from Bandar Sri Begawan. There are also direct fights from Paris with UTA, from Amsterdam via Medan with KLM, from Japan and Taiwan with Garuda and from the Australian cities of Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns and Adelaide with Garuda and Qantas.

From the United States, Garuda Indonesia serves Los Angeles/Honolulu/Biak/Bali and vice versa. Bali also has feeder services to other eastern and northern destinations. There are daily flights to Ujung Pandang (gateway to Toraja land) and to the eastern Nusa Tenggara islands of Lombok and further afield. Garuda has several flights daily connecting Bali with Jakarta and Yogyakarta. Sempati Air flies to Bali from Jakarta, Yogya, Solo, Semarang, Surabaya and Ujung Pandang

By road or rail from Java
Land transport from Java, both rail and road, stops at Banyuwangi from where a ferry service operates 24 hours a day, bringing cars and passengers across the Straits to Gilimanuk in Bali. Buses carry passengers from Gilimanuk to Denpasar.

By Sea
Two of Bali's four sea ports are used by international cruise ships and yachts. Benoa is a small port relatively close to the airport, while Padangbai is used by larger and luxury cruise ships.

A ferry service runs twice daily from Lombok's port of Lembar to Padangbai and a hydrofoil service operates from Benoa harbour to Lembar.

On the north coast, the harbour of Singaraja is used by Bugis schooners and smaller craft serving the lines between Java and north Bali.

CURRENCY AND BANKING
The local currency is the Indonesian rupiah ('Rp' or 'IDR').

Exchange rate:	USD 1 = 11,086 IDR
	1,000 IDR = 8.19 JPY

(Exchange rate is subject to fluctuation and the figure shown served as a guideline)

Electricity
Electricity in Bali is 220 volts, 50 cycles. Plugs have two round prongs.  Adapters and converters are usually available in major hotels but may be hard to find elsewhere.

Time
GMT +8hours

Country Dialling Code
62

Visa
Non-extendable visa-free entry to Indonesia for 30 days is available to passport holders of Brunei, Chili, Hongkong, Macao, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Passport holders of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States are entitled to either 3- or 30-day non-extendable tourist visas upon payment of US$10 or US$25, respectively, upon arrival.

Passport holders of all other countries and non-tourists of the aforementioned countries must obtain appropriate valid Indonesian visas at an Indonesian diplomatic mission prior to their arrival.  Such visas are generally issued for 1-2 months and are often extendable in Indonesia up to a maximum of 6 months.  A social visa, for example, can be extended for up to 6 months, but you must document your reason for being in Indonesia and have a letter from an Indonesian sponsor.  A business visa can also be extended up to 6 months and, similarly, requires a letter from an Indonesian-based company or organization stating that you are being invited to visit for some legitimate reason.

Customs
Indonesian law forbids visitors from bringing weapons, illegal drugs, or pornography into the country.  Penalties can be severe and include death for weapons or drugs.  You may bring a maximum of two liters of alcohol, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 100 grams of tobacco, and a reasonable amount of perfume with you.  Visitors must surrender a signed customs declaration in order to clear customs inspection upon arrival.

The export of certain products -- such as tortoise shell, crocodile skin, and ivory -- is prohibited.  Permits are generally required to export live animals.

Passports and Other Documentation
Your passport must be valid for at least six months from your date of arrival or you may be denied admission. If arriving on a tourist visa, you must also show proof of onward journey in the form of a return or through ticket.