No Booze in Bali - TheMoveChannel.com

(EMAILWIRE.COM, June 15, 2009 ) Indonesia, Bali - To many travellers, one of the biggest pleasures of a holiday is enjoying a few drinks in the evening, (and afternoon, and morning) so visitors to Bali will be horrified to hear that the country is facing an alcohol shortage, which tourism chiefs fear may dent the tourist high season which is so crucial to the Bali economy...

The alcohol drought is due to customs officials confiscating thousands of bottles of booze from some of the island's top hotels, restaurants and bars.

But why, I hear you cry? Well, apparently the bottles have counterfeit tax labels meaning they are being illegally sold. Popular tourist areas such as Kuta and Nusa Dua are said to be running low on their supplies of alcohol, and hoteliers and bar owners are concerned that this may deter tourists from visiting Bali.

As the credit crunch has led to many people choosing to have a staycation this year, Brits may well avoid Bali and opt for less riskier destinations closer to home. As everyone knows that the British have a reputation - whether deserved or not - for enjoying their booze on holiday- this latest alcohol shortage could prove the deciding factor when it comes to holidaying in Bali this year.

Perry Markus, Head of the Bali branch of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association, said, "We've asked for this confiscation process to be temporarily suspended because we are running out of stocks."

Ida Bagus Subhiksu, Head of the Bali Tourism Board, believes the raids could damage Bali's international reputation, "We asked the customs office to stop the process and if they have to do something, please continue it later on, after the high season," he added.

This latest alcohol problem isn't the first to hit Bali recently - 26 people, including four foreign tourists, died after drinking local rice wine - called Arak - which had been poisoned with methanol.

Arak has become increasingly popular in Bali since a Government crackdown on imported alcohol forced up the price of spirits and wine.

The case of Queenslander Schapelle Corby almost five years ago - in which a hugely high profile trail followed her conviction for smuggling cannabis into Bali- although she maintains it was put into her bag by airport workers - also deterred a number of Australians from visiting the country.

For more information on property in Bali and the market in general, please visit http://www.themovechannel.com/property/Indonesia/Bali/

-ENDS-

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Dan Johnson
020 7952 7650
dj@themovechannel.com