LONDON ~

Readers of Russia’s Conde Nast Traveler magazine have selected Bali as the most beautiful island in the world.

Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Djauhari Oratmangun received the magazine’s Readers’ Choice award for Bali as the most beautiful island recently, Lailal K Y, a spokesman of the Indonesian embassy in Moscow, noted in a statement.

Bali defeated Phuket (Thailand), Maldives, Mauritius and Greece in the contest organized by the travel magazine.

Ambassador Oratmangun expressed his gratitude to the Russian people for selecting Bali as the most beautiful island in the world and every stakeholder, both in Indonesia and Russia, who promoted Bali as a tourist destination so far.

He pointed out that the embassy in Moscow has been intensifying the promotion of Bali among the Russian people.

The award has proven that Bali has so far managed to offer “Sea, Sand, Smile, Service, Scenery, plus Satisfaction” to tourists visiting the island, he explained.

In its summer edition 2013, the magazine had published a 14-page feature on the visit of Maria Sharapova to Yogyakarta, yet another Indonesian famous tourist destination.