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span class="inline inline-left">New year celebration: A man cleans statues in preparation for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration at a temple in Denpasar on Tuesday. The Chinese New Year will be celebrated next Monday, the first day in the Year of the Water Dragon. JP/Agung ParameswaraThe tourist industry in Bali is preparing an array of events to lure visitors for Chinese New Year, which falls next Monday.

To welcome the Year of the Water Dragon, hotels have offered special packages for guests, ranging from dinners with Chinese menus featuring a Lion Dance through to unique fortune-telling sessions.

The Intercontinental Bali Resort in Jimbaran has offered guests the chance to savor specialty dishes and Chinese delicacies at its Yee Sang prosperity dinner, featuring a vibrant performance of the Lion Dance, which symbolizes prosperity.

“We believe that traditional Chinese New Year should be best enjoyed with truly authentic experiences. Therefore, we present a great selection of family oriented activities to ensure it would be a memorable event,” said Dewi Anggraini, the resort’s public relations director.

There will be Chinese-inspired pastimes for children and fortune telling sessions, as well as indulging spa rituals and Tai Chi gymnastics on the beach.

At the Yee Sang dinner, guests can enjoy dishes believed to bring health, wealth and happiness for the coming year.

“Guests can also join a private session with our guest fortune teller, which includes an insightful tarot card reading and numerology,” Dewi said.

Umalas Hotel and Residence in Kerobokan was also offering a special dinner with Chinese food, general manager Fajar Asmara said.

“During the dinner, we also invite guests to take angpao [red envelopes] and win various gifts, like discounts and vouchers to stay at the hotel. This is like presenting gifts on Christmas Day,” he said.

Bali Dynasty Resort in Kuta has planned a special Yee Sang dinner at its Golden Lotus restaurants, not only for in-house guests but also for any visitor wanting to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

The resort is expecting more guests to come to the restaurant to enjoy a Chinese traditional menu believed to bring luck and prosperity.

“On this occasion, we expect more guests coming from various countries like China, Singapore and Japan,” said the resort’s public relations spokeswoman Irma Wardani.

Guests usually came in groups facilitated by travel agents.

“They do not stay in the resort, since all rooms have been fully booked by other guests. But they come to the resort only to enjoy dining at the restaurant,” Irma said.

It has also been a tradition for the resort to feature the Lion Dance.

Grand Istana Rama Hotel in Kuta is expecting a surge in occupancy rates since due to more tourists coming from China and Taiwan.

“There will be a large group of tourists from China and Taiwan coming here to celebrate the Chinese New Year and to enjoy their holiday. They have booked 30 rooms,” said Bianca Rosetta, the hotel’s marketing communication executive.

Travel agents facilitating tourists from China said that there was usually an increase in Chinese tourist arrivals a week before and after the New Year celebration.