In Reply to: have a deeper look into the figures posted by bagus1 on Tuesday, 29. January 2008 at 18:24 Bali Time:
Please, do not always go for the standard Australian generalisation as to Europeans. There are Europeans who do other things than just spend time tanning by the pool all day after grabbing the pool chairs at 4 o'clock in the morning. Since most people on the BTF seem not to talk talk to the Europeans due to whatever barriers, I wonder how do you know what we are doing in Bali. Yes, well, seeing is believing but the coin does have two sides (or actually three).
If you were from countries where winters are both dark and cold as well as long, I am sure that you, too, would find the sun one of the main attractions in Bali. There are in fact quite a lof of Australians spending most time by the pool just only waiting all day for the so called Happy Hours at the pool bar. We do not post here about those people being loud and taking up a lot of space in many aspects.
Maybe we are not into running around all day buying Martha Tillar's products, cheap T-shirts, beads or toothpaste although at least toothpaste and other cosmetics are found at good prices in Bali.
Maybe we are old enough to realise that plaiting the hair is a thing for the really young ones and that a beach massage is really quite a hassle, being crowded by all the sellers at one go, and feeling like a fish-finger (oil and sand instead of oil and breadcrumbs) afterwards when the wind has been blowing in the wrong direction.
We live our lives in Bali our way and enjoy it. We do support the Balinese without talking/writing about it on the BTF. I suppose the Japanese do, too, enjoy their time in Bali considering their rather short vacations. Since prices in Japan are high, I am sure they find that shopping in Bali is a bargain, be it on Sunset Road or elsewhere.
And had the visa regulations been easier, we Europeans would gladly hibernate in Bali, for several months at one go, instead of just the maximum 60 days. At least I would. Now I have to settle for 3 x 8 weeks. That is not bad, things considering, for the Balinese economy - whether we spend it by the pool or elsewhere. We do also eat and drink - and even go shopping!
All in all we are less in numbers and are not seen, or heard, as much as other nationals. Europe is far away and we do visit other destinations, not only Bali, depending on the season.