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Published on December 18, 2014

The enchanting Island of Bali never ceases to attract travelers from all over the globe to explore its countless wonders. Recently, the island was named among the most popular tourist destinations in the Asia Pacific by the largest global travel website, TripAdvisor,  for the End of the Year holiday period from 27thDecember 2014 to 4th January 2015.

The survey was conducted by TripAdvisor to list the top 10 most popular holiday destinations in the Asia Pacific to celebrate the turn of the year. Indonesia, through the island of Bali, managed to place two destinations among the top 10 chosen by travelers in TripAdvisor’s Travel Forum.

The lively beach  of Seminyak  was placed 3rd on the list, while the legendary tourist beach of Kuta claimed  9th spot, although hotel rates in Kuta have increased up to 63% for  the new year’s holiday. Along with Australia, Indonesia managed to become the only two countries to have more than one destination in the top 10 most popular Year End  Holiday Destinations.

Here is the complete list of TripAdvisor’s Most Popular New Year Destinations in the Asia Pacific:

  1. Sydney (Australia)
  2. Singapore
  3. Seminyak, Bali (Indonesia)
  4. Hongkong (China)
  5. Taipeh (Taiwan)
  6. New York City (United States)
  7. Paris (France)
  8. Bangkok (Thailand)
  9. Kuta Beach, Bali (Indonesia)
  10. Melbourne (Australia)

Meanwhile, a survey was also conducted for domestic tourists in Indonesia on the most popular destinations to celebrate the turn of the year holidays. The island of Bali managed to place 4 destinations in the Top 10 list, with Kuta claiming the first spot. One respondent commented that the reason he chose Kuta wasbecause the beach truly presents an extraordinary ambience during the celebrations with endless fireworks and a variety of events.

This year, Indonesian tourists tend to choose to spend the  new year holidays within Indonesia itself. . Among other favorite destinations are Yogyakarta (placed 5th), Bandung (placed 6th), and Jakarta (placed 8th). For the new year’s holidays, hotel rates in Bandung and Yogyakarta have been reduced with 36-37%, while in Jakarta, rates have doubled to an average of IDR1,940,000.

Here is the list of the top 10 popular destinations for this  New Year’s holidays for indonesian  tourists:

  1. Kuta, Bali
  2. Singapore (Singapura)
  3. Seminyak, Bali
  4. Hongkong (China)
  5. Yogyakarta
  6. Bandung
  7. Nusa Dua, Bali
  8. Jakarta
  9. Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
  10. Legian, Bali

Aside from compiling opinions on the most popular New Year destinations, TripAdvisor also surveyed the most reviewed destinations, hotels, and restaurants by travelers in Indonesia in 2014. Some of the names that  emerged as result of the survey, include:

Sangeh (Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary) came as top of the destinations category. The natural forest in Tegal Parang Village, home to thousands of monkeys, received 1,764 positive reviews from TripAdvisors viewers.

Potato Head Club was top of the restaurants category with 1,156 positive reviews. Delicious culinary attractions combined with fascinating settings and ambience truly make this a special place. Potato Head Beach Club is located in Kerobokan, Bali and features great food, cozy atmosphere, and a spectacular sunset.

Padma Resort Legian Bali was top of the accommodation category with over 700 positive reviews. Padma Resort managed to outrank other star-rated hotels in Bali with its indulging facilities and relatively affordable rates.