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Jakarta. Bali is bathing not only in its famed sunshine but also the collective focus of the world’s media ahead of the release of the eagerly anticipated Hollywood film, "Eat, Pray, Love."

And local businesses appear to be doing their part to cash in on the free publicity.

The film, based on the bestselling memoir of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert, was shot in part on the resort island.

Writing in The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper, Kathleen Squires writes that moviegoers “will be treated to the breathtaking visuals of the ‘Love’ setting: Ubud, Bali, where Julia Roberts finds a soulmate in the arms of Javier Bardem.”

“Its lush beauty makes Ubud the ultimate location for amour; yet a lesser-known attraction of this mountain town is its accomplished culinary scene.”

In an article titled “Bali’s Travel Boom: Eat, Pray, Love Tourism,” Time magazine writer Hillary Brenhouse says the release of the film has “given rise to a new customer for Balinese hotels, travel agencies and tour operators: the spiritual seeker.”

“Newly launched packages by luxury resorts and spas like Ubud Hanging Gardens and the cliff-top Ayana promise to recreate Gilbert’s four transformative months on Bali in a few passing days with yoga classes, drawn-out beach dinners, massage therapy,” the article says.

“As of June, the upscale chain COMO Hotels and Resorts combines Bangkok, Bhutan and Bali in an Eat, Pray, Love excursion that culminates at the swish Uma Ubud, where guests can choose from cleansing temple rituals, sessions with Ketut or outings to locations where the movie was shot.“

In an article in the Los Angeles Times, Kevin Brass writes that though locals do not agree on the film’s impact on tourism, “it’s not hard to spot women of a certain age in town, hopping between spas and meditation seminars.”

In an article titled “Where can you ‘Eat, Pray, Love?’ -- Everywhere!” in the Los Angeles Times, Kitty Bean Yance writes that “it seems as if every resort, and its brother or sister, is jumping on the Eat, Pray, Love bandwagon.”

“As the days tick down to the movie’s Aug. 13 opening, the in-boxes of USA TODAY’s travel team are filling with “Eat, Pray, Love” packages.”

“Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts invite travelers to imitate the movie’s heroine “as she eats, prays, and loves her way through Italy, India, and Bali.” “Bali, Pray Love” packages offer experiences, including a consultation with the feisty Balinese healer Gilbert spent time with during her stay and a Balinese cooking class featuring local aphrodisiacs,” Yance wrote as an example.

In a press release, Sober Haven Bali announced plans for an “Eat, Pray, Love” vacation retreat at its “picturesque sober sanctuary” tucked in the same spiritual island paradise where actress Julia Roberts retraced writer Elizabeth Gilbert’s spiritual journey in her 2006 best-selling book.

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said that though Gilbert found gastronomical pleasure in Italy and spirituality in India, she discovered love in Bali.

Bagus Subhiksu, head of the provincial Tourism Office, told the Jakarta Globe that the film reflected Bali’s status as the world’s premiere resort island and would have a positive impact on tourist arrivals.

He said that tourist arrivals in the first six months of the year totaled 1,180,118 people, an increase of more than 10 percent on the same period the previous year.

Subhiksu conceded that the Tourism Office had done nothing to maximize the opportunity to promote Bali, saying it was up to the filmmakers to promote the movie.

Marketing expert Hermawan Kertajaya said Subhiksu’s attitude was a poor one and a lost chance.