BALI RECOGNIZED AS WORLD’S TOP DESTINATION FOR 2017

Bali, INDONESIA – 21 April 2017 – TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel site, has announced Bali as the world winner of its 2017 Travelers’ ChoiceTM awards for destinations1. The award marks the first time an Asian destination has taken the top spot in the history of its run, which honors 418 outstanding destinations across the globe.

The top 10 Travelers’ Choice Destinations in the world are:

1. Bali, Indonesia
2. London, United Kingdom
3. Paris, France
4. Rome, Italy
5. New York City, United States
6. Crete, Greece
7. Barcelona, Spain
8. Siem Reap, Cambodia
9. Prague, Czech Republic
10. Phuket, Thailand

“It is really an honour for us to be chosen the best in the world this year. I believe that this award will strengthen our position as a tourism nation” said I Gde Pitana, Deputy Minister for International Tourism Marketing. “The 2017 Travelers’ Choice Award surely supports our effort to reach our 20 million tourist target as well as uplifts in our Wonderful Indonesia branding. Besides Bali as the Best Destination in the World, Lombok was also awarded as one the top 10 destinations in Asia.”

“Bali is a destination with top-notch experiences for every type of traveler be it natural, cultural or gastronomical so users tend to want to share these with the world,” said TripAdvisor spokesperson for Asia Pacific, Sarah Mathews. “User-generated content plays such a key role in traveler discovery and we encourage more travelers to share their wonderful Bali experiences with other global users on TripAdvisor to encourage them to visit the island.”

Global reviews and opinions on TripAdvisor have now crossed the 500 million milestone, with the popular travel planning and booking site and app receiving 290 pieces of content every minute of every day. Bali has seen steady year-on-year2 growth in user reviews across all three categories – accommodation (25%), attraction (38%) and eatery (38%) – indicating sustained global interest in the full spectrum of Bali’s tourism offerings.

In Bali, the most reviewed accommodations on TripAdvisor are Padma Resort Legian, Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa and Melia Bali Indonesia; most reviewed restaurants are Potato Head Beach Club, Ku De Ta and La Lucciola; and the most reviewed tourist attractions are Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, Waterbom Bali and Tanah Lot Temple.

The top source market for Bali is China with search interest on TripAdvisor having increased by 73% year-on-year3, followed by The Netherlands at 57% and India at 37%.

TripAdvisor’s impact on Indonesian travel economy

At the same time, an Oxford Economics study* found that TripAdvisor’s breadth of content, trusted consumer reviews, and booking facilities not only influenced travel decisions but also generated incremental travel for Indonesia. In 2015, TripAdvisor generated1 569,000 tourism trips and 2.5 million tourism nights, as well as US$853 million of additional tourism spend.

The report also revealed that TripAdvisor content gives travelers the confidence to choose a property based on reviews, ratings and photos from other travelers, rather than more traditional decision-making factors such as brand recognition or previous experience. This trend particularly benefits non-branded businesses, enabling small and independent businesses to compete on more of an equal footing with larger, more internationally recognisable brands.

Said I Made Widnyana, owner of Celebrity Bike Tour in Bali, “As a small tour operator with little marketing budget, word of mouth is really how people find out about my business so TripAdvisor’s reach and influence is really important to my success. Our free listing on TripAdvisor has opened up opportunities to showcase our bike tours to both local and international travellers, which would not have been possible otherwise.”

Other key findings of TripAdvisor’s impact on Indonesia include:

1. TripAdvisor influences both international and domestic inbound trips to Indonesia

 TripAdvisor content influenced2 11.3% of international arrivals in Indonesia and 8.8% of all domestic travels in 2015, higher than the global share of 8.1%.

2. Increased number and length of trips to Indonesia
   •   TripAdvisor generated 430,000 additional domestic trips and 139,000 additional inbound trips in 2015, demonstrating that TripAdvisor content not only increases the number of trips taken globally, but also leads to travelers taking longer trips and extending their stays in destinations.
   •   By itself, the new trip effect is equivalent to additional spending of US$540 million.
3. TripAdvisor content helps travelers discover new destinations within Indonesia

 While Bali remains a ‘traditional’ tourism destination within Indonesia, greater share of accommodation and eatery reviews in areas outside of Bali indicates TripAdvisor’s influence in growing non-traditional destinations and its role in helping travelers to discover new destinations within the country.

4. Improved standards across the hospitality industry
   •   TripAdvisor has given the industry greater opportunities for direct engagement with customers. Improved service is reflected in higher review scores and contributes to the incremental generated demand.
   •   Increased travel leads to increased content shared on TripAdvisor. That content helps other travelers planning trips and also provides businesses with valuable feedback to improve service and in turn attract more customers.
5. Injection to travel industry employment in Indonesia

    More than 150,000 travel industry jobs were sustained as a result of travel spending generated by TripAdvisor in 2015.

For the complete list of winners from the 2017 Travelers’ Choice awards for Destinations, more reviews and candid traveler photos, go to www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Destinations.

For more information and to download the complete report, The Global Economic Contribution of TripAdvisor, please visit TripAdvisor Insights.

TripAdvisor is the world’s largest travel site*. Travelers can read millions of reviews and opinions and book their next trip at www.tripadvisor.com.