In Reply to: There is truth in this and official..... posted by dadvet on Saturday, 27. December 2008 at 16:33 Bali Time:
Surveys conducted a few years back in Oz found that the back packer was better for the countries economy than the 5 star hotel visitor. Why? 5 star hotel visitor was gone after a few nights, where as the back packer tended to stay several months and spend a lot more money, in a variety of areas & locations. Transpose that to the Bali economy and use the recent day visit of Kevin Rudd as against my visit of 2 weeks duration. We both spend the same amount of money, but who benefits most? The 5 star hotel or the surrounding businesses near my hotel? I suppose if the 5 star hotel has 100% occupancy, it makes the most money, but my spending puts food on the table for more Balineese families!