"European tourists adore the Balinese way of life."Denpasar (ANTARA News) - Two European countries, England and France, are the top two suppliers of tourists to Bali, followed by Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Russia.
"European tourists adore the Balinese way of life," Bali tourism observer Wayan Sudana said here Tuesday.
"Therefore, even though Europe is facing a major economic crisis, the continent's tourists keep coming to Bali to enjoy its art and culture," he added.
Based on Tourism Services reports, 250,412 Europeans visited Bali from January through May, accounting for 22.13 percent of the 1,131,462 tourist arrivals in the island during the five-month period. There were 46,349 visitors from England in January-May 2012, up 12.51 percent from the same period last year. Meanwhile, the number of French tourists increased from 38,447 to 43,527.
Wayan noted that European people particularly enjoyed the Ngaben (cremation) ritual in rural Bali.
The ritual is never promoted as a tourism product, but many foreign visitors, especially from Europe, enjoy witnessing the sacred ritual. The tourists like to take photographs of Balinese people conducting the funeral ceremony at the cremation sites.
Hence, the Hindu community in rural Bali attracts the highest number of foreign tourists.
(Uu.LPW/INE/KR-BSR/F001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
