Japan Warns Visitors To Indonesia On Terrorism - Kyodo

Sometimes I am not so certain that Islam is the religion of unparalleled tolerance that
I have been lead to believe. Then I realize that the Indonesians are simply being prudent.
After all Christians cause tsunamis with their infidel celebrations...unless its all because of the Jews.

Indonesia's oil production is going down. Indonesia needs tourists from Australia, Japan, and America. Those tourists are unlikely to continue to visit, if they discover that Infidels are targets. Newer sources of tourists -- China, Taiwan, overseas Chinese in Singapore and Thailand -- may react badly to the way that Chinese peasants and small shopkeepers are treated by Muslims in Indonesia (the richer Chinese, who take on Indonesian names, can always protect themselves through submitting to a disguised jizyah), and wish to go elsewhere.

Bali is still mainly non-Muslim. It would be, were it not for its Muslim overlords and the odd Muslim bomber, a place to visit. Why should not the Hindus of Bali, in order to preserve their tourist trade, and their non-Muslim religions and relaxed ways of life, seek independence from an Indonesia that is gradually becoming more and more implacably Muslim -- following what appears to be an Iron Law of Islam.

Without tourism, Bali can not survive. Without Infidel tourists, where is tourism? With Islam, there is always the threat of terrorism. Not all tourists seek the thrills of escaping death.

Bali is still mainly non-Muslim.
true very true
but
most of the tourist trade was built up by the chinese and muslims from Java and Madura and ex-pats
So dont waste to many tears for Bali

Why bother with Indonesia etc when Australia has the best beaches in the world, and we can just about guarantee that the locals wont be planning murder. Tourists are not driven mad by beggars and thieves either.

A good way to bring Islam to its knees is to simply not spend money in these countries. Let them do without infidel dollars.

They will be doing without mine, anyhow.

Tourism No
The impact of tourism on Bali's environment has been horrendous. The island's affluence has given way to ugly urban sprawl in the capital of Denpasar. Even more serious is the environmental damaged caused by the plundering of offshore reefs for coral used in the construction boom of the 1980s. Live reefs are threatened by sewage, runoff, and silt. Over 1,000 hectares of agricultural land are lost every year to art shops, hotels, and housing estates. Megaresorts displace traditional landowners and tenants.
The southern region is woefully lacking in the infrastructure necessary to sustain a burgeoning population. The water table is sinking, and water is already in short supply. Electricity is barely adequate. The problem of waste disposal has reached crisis proportions. No one seems to know what to do with all the sampah (garbage) as the volume of nonorganic, nonbiodegradable waste grows. Profits made from tourists may soon be canceled out by the cost of maintaining the environment.
The Balinese themselves cannot raise the necessary capital to open big enterprises. Jakarta-based businessmen and women in partnership with transnational corporations now dominate Bali's real estate market. In 1995 The West Australian published a list of the major investors in five-star hotels and golf courses in Bali, revealing that numerous high-end properties are owned by President Suharto's children.
On Bali popular paintings, carvings, and antiques are mass-produced to satisfy undiscerning collectors, transforming everything from cow bones to coconut shells into souvenirs. Temples are pillaged for artifacts to sell to tourists. Religious ceremonies, dance and gamelan forms, and traditional crafts are all being changed and in some cases subverted to fit tourist tastes. To reach such sacred temples as Tanah Lot, Tampaksiring, Besakih, and the Monkey Forest you have to walk past tawdry commercial corridors of hard-sell souvenir and art shops. Resorts arrange helicopter rides over sacred temples. Pushy vendors infest every nice beach. T-shirts for sale are emblazoned with the message: "Fuck Off! I Don't Want a Massage, Painting, Woodcarving, or Another Hotel!"
Many Balinese young men don't care so much for work anymore, preferring instead to hang around with foreigners or make a living out of short-time romances with fair-haired, round-eyed European women.
Villagers still celebrate religious festivals with traditional Balinese dancing, but they also cluster around TV sets in the evening to watch Indonesian sitcoms. The expansion of hotels has limited access to the beaches for rituals. Balinese residents can now only reach the waters of Sanur via the narrow gang, snaking their way between the large hotels.
In Italy no one would dare enter a church or cathedral in a short-sleeved shirt or shorts, but in Bali Italians wear this sort of disrespectful clothing into Balinese temples all the time. The only bare-breasted women on Bali today are the Europeans who go topless on the beaches, ignoring government prohibitions against doing so.
Prices are getting higher, it costs money to use the toilet facilities, the whine of motorbikes is constant, the quality of paintings and carvings is declining, brash disco music drowns out tinkling gamelan, money-minded vendors in the tourist ghettoes of Sanur, Kuta, Denpasar, and Lovina are a constant hassle. Tourism has brought stress, tension, corruption, congestion, pollution, urban blight, and crime. Not anymore. Revered Hindu priests wear graffiti art T-shirts and atheist foreigners can pay their way into a Bali-Hindu wedding. Cremations are held specially for tourists, advertised with signs like: "Cremation this Saturday in Bangli! Rp20,000! Book now!" You can even book a seat in advance in Melbourne.
Real Economic Effects
It's estimated that as much as 80% of all tourist receipts end up outside Bali. This revenue leakage must be measured against the much-touted claims of tourism generating huge foreign exchange earnings. Not surprisingly, the estimated $200 million brought in each year by tourists has not been entirely beneficial for the Balinese economy.
Actual improvement in the standard of living is significant but not dramatic. Much of the population is poor, in many cases desperately poor. The vast majority of Balinese live in villages and do not directly benefit from foreign-exchange earnings. The advent of tourism has widened the gap between rich and poor. A UNESCO study demonstrated that those who benefit most from tourism are directly engaged in the industry-hotel and art shop owners and employees, guides, drivers, hotel workers, musicians, performers,thieves,pick-pockets and prostitutes
Tourism creates jobs, but not all of the type endorsed in the country's development plans. Only about 15% of the workforce is employed directly or indirectly in the tourist industry. Moreover, the low season means a dramatic drop in earnings. Neither do all the jobs go to the Balinese. The larger the hotel, the greater the tendency to employ imported labor. People from Java fill a great number of the responsible positions. Only one sector consists exclusively of Balinese-tour guides. At least it's the Balinese who interpret Bali for the tourist.
Although Bali may still seem cheap compared to the West, there's a danger that the Balinese are driving themselves out of business by overpricing. When visitors first began arriving in Bali, the exorbitant airfare was quickly absorbed in the low cost of rooms, meals, and transport. But Bali isn't that cheap anymore. Travel agents don't push Bali as much as they used to-Thailand and East Malaysia are the preferred destinations these days. Packaged trips to Phuket are very attractive and represent less flying time from Europe.
The Balinese have become greedy. Shopkeepers hardly bargain anymore; even in Ubud, their eyes are filled with contempt. Most seem to have no interest in attracting repeat customers.
Most of the handicrafts are either made in Java or produced by Javanese/Madurese in Bali.
Silver.produced in Bangil and Lumayan[East Java]
Stone carving.Mojokerto[East java]
Leather.Surabaya and Jogakarta
Glass beads.Probolinggo and Jombang[East Java] [warning beads from Jombang contain asbestos]
Shell.Situbondo[East Java]
Sorongs.Central Java
Beads[seed,wood,resin,bamboo]Jember[East Java]
Air-Brush[Surf-boards etc] Situbondo
Beer.Surabaya
Prostitutes.Javanese[all muslim]
The only place in Bali where you can find real Balinese handicraft is Tampaksiring where they make some very nice bone and horn carving,This was established by the chinese,to carve ivory as the focus was on China and India for this ilegal
trade.Happily some american and English designers
have given then alternative product,so today there is almost zero production of ivory
So by staying aay from Bali is not really going to affect the situation much for them.I can say truthfully say in this case the Javanese are the ones that developed the tourism in Bali for better or worse,and the Balinese have had a free ride long enough.
As DianaC notes there are great beaches in Ausrtralia,and much safer,The beaches in Bali are very dangerous,due to a strong under current,
The beach is okay for surfing,but children,No.
All in ALL Bali is a rip-off,Bali is Indonesia.