Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic Nusa Dua Bali

The Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic (formerly the Wismilak International Bali) is soon to start in Nusa Dua. The annual women’s tennis event draws international stars including American Lindsey Davenport.

Running September 9-16, 2007, the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic is again proof that Bali offers a wonderful environment for events, whether they be cultural (Ubud Writers & Readers Festival), sporting, or business conferences. Later this year Bali will be the center of world attention when it hosts the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Already home to surfing competitions and equipped with plentiful hotel space, artists, performers and audiences will have no trouble getting motivated to come to Bali for an event. There is talk of a Bali Film Festival starting up and there is room for much more. Personally I’d like to see the Indonesian Department of Tourism partner with a music promoter, a large hotel, Garuda and MTV, to create the ‘Live In Bali’ series. Every year MTV goes down to Montego Bay Jamaica for Spring Break, videotaping all the partying students out in the sun behaving badly. Its a great ad for Montego Bay. You get some high profile performers playing at GWK, or on stage on Kuta Beach, then follow them around for a week, showcasing all the stuff they get up to, waterfalls, surfing, partying, pretty girls, kicking back at the luxury villa with private pool etc. That kind of promo packs a wallop and the financial spin-offs are endless. You could do celeb weddings in Bali, celeb retreats in Bali, celeb family vacations in Bali. Way more effective than sending Balinese dancers to a trade show in Singapore with hand out flyers.

Before we get to that stage there’s the tennis match to think about. Tickets run from 45,000rp to 250,000rp depending on the area of the arena and the stage of the competition. Might be a fun afternoon if you are in Bali and enjoy women’s tennis.