Alistair G. Speirs

Many, many, years ago there was a wonderful Disney film called “Swiss Family Robinson” which was about a family cast-away on a tropical island. You can imagine all the adventures that they had, for which I have forgotten, but what does stick in my mind is the amazing tree that they made into their fantasy

The optimism behind the success of tourism statistics continues, at least in government circles despite lingering reminders that, if not done right, that much loved increase in traveller numbers will put undue strain on the resources and infrastructure of all developed and underdeveloped islands. We just need to look at tropical escapes like Aklan’s Boracay

We all think we are entitled to our own opinions and rarely do we restrict our opinions to things we actually know about (which sometimes is a very narrow field!) But we love to pronounce our judgements on things we should honestly keep quiet about – or better – learn as much as we can

That’s a pretty strange statement to begin with at a time when everyone is talking about ‘New Year, New Me, New Start, a Fresh Beginning’ etc, etc. but can Bali actually make a new beginning? One that turns the corner to a bold new way of doing things? The Spanish – American philosopher George Santayana thoughtfully

You may have heard of, or possibly even seen, tourists behaving badly here in beautiful Bali. It’s kind of hard to understand why because everything is pretty good here (well, except for maybe the traffic…). There really is no reason to misbehave or be disrespectful. But it does happen and seems even to be on

I set out 8 years ago now to embrace the concept of sustainability and try to bring it to as many people as possible, first of all by education, though a series of very well-attended seminars and conferences, covering important subjects like Sustainable Fashion, Sustainable Buildings and Architecture, and How to Create Smart Cities. Then

Do you know how Google Maps works? It is absolutely brilliant, but I have absolutely no idea how it operates! I imagine that there is GPS positioning that somehow tells my phone where I am, which also  somehow knows when I tell my phone where I am and somehow when I tell it to go

I perhaps should not tell you this, but I didn’t really want to start NOW! Bali. I was perfectly happy publishing two marvellous magazines called Jakarta Java Kini (JJK) and Hello Bali, but my partner at the time had other ideas and took over the company, leaving me with a bit of a dilemma since

Many think of Japan as a high-tech, industrial powerhouse, perhaps waning in the shadow of China’s mega-economy, but nonetheless, still an example of efficiency and innovation. Behind that, diligence, dedication and sheer hard work. And we would not be wrong. Japan has not faded, it has only recently been overshadowed.  Outside of the global economy,

Sounds like a food processing factory, doesn’t it? But that’s not what I’m talking about; it all refers to our much loved, but not much cared for, destinations, here in Indonesia, and to a great extent, all over the world.  I used to be in the insurance business and we spent a lot of time