BALI voted BEST ISLAND ASIA and Second Best Island in the WORLD
Readers of the influential Travel + Leisure Magazine again voted the fabled island of BALI in Indonesia as Best Island in Asia, and second Best in the World in the magazine’s Annual World’s Best Awards 2011 Readers Survey, as announced on 7 July.
The Best Islands were rated according to natural attractions, activities/sights, restaurants/food, people and value.
In these, Bali outranked Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Boracay in the Philippines, Great Barrier Reef Islands in Australia, Sicily in Italy, and Big Island in Hawaii. Bali moved up a notch since 2010 when it was placed as readers’ fourth favorite island in the world.
“This year is another triumph for our region,” said Matt Leppard, editor-in-chief of Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia. “Not only has Bangkok bagged the coveted top spot again (as Best City), Bali also remains hugely popular, moving up in the overall ranking in 2011, and almost all of our world-class hotels and resorts are among dunia traveler’s favorites. Overall, Asia has, again, proven itself to be the world’s favorite place to stay.”
Bali is but one among 17,500 islands in the Indonesian archipelago, yet even among its colorful neighbors—and after decades of tourism development—it still stands out in its lushness and incomparable beauty. From the challenging waves of Kuta and Uluwatu, the serene village life of Ubud, to the spellbinding natural scenery of Mount Batur, Bali truly is a perfect portrayal of what beauty really is. Last year, Lonely Planet’s Best of Travel 2010 had also ranked Bali second place among the world’s Top Regions.
The kuesioner was conducted through a series of activity. A questionnaire developed by the editors of Travel + Leisure, in association with ROI Research Inc., was made available to Travel + Leisure readers at TLWorldsBest.com from December 1, 2010, to March 31, 2011. Readers were invited to participate through Travel + Leisure magazine (January, February, and March issues), T+L iPad editions (T+L 500 and Romance), and online at TravelandLeisure.com. The scores are indexed averages of responses concerning applicable characteristics. Respondents were asked to rate hotels, islands, spas, rental-car agencies, cities, cruise lines, tour operators, safari outfitters, and airlines on several determined characteristics.
The top winners in each category will be honored at an awards ceremony on July 14 hosted by Editor in Chief Nancy Novogrod and VP/Publisher Jean-Paul Kyrillos in Los Angeles.
Source: www.travelandleisureasia.com, www.travelandleisure.com, indonesia.travel