Bali: Gushing volcano spells disaster for Christmas tourism

TOURISM is an essential part of Bali and Indonesia’s economy. With year-round sunshine, affordable accommodation and a welcoming culture, vacationers wanting a little slice of paradise usually flock to the island.

“Unfortunately, due to the news, we canceled our trip,” Kaushalya, a prospective traveler to Bali told Travel Wire Asia. “We had planned everything on our own; our airlines initially said that they wouldn’t be operating until December 11, so we had no option we had to cancel.”

MOMEN KOLOM ABU PUNCAK GUNUNG AGUNG SENIN PAGI DARI BUDAKELING #nowupdate @denpasarnow Percaya atau tidak momen saat kepulan asap keluar dari puncak Gunung Agung kadang terlihat seperti bentuk-bentuk tertentu. Misalkan mirip wajah, bahkan Kapusdatin BNPB Sutopo Purwo Nugroho menyebut asap mirip kepalan tangan di akun twitternya pada Senin (11/12). Terbaru kolom abu yang menurut netizen menyerupai seekor anjing pudel lucu yang sedang berusaha berdiri. Foto ini diambil dari wilayah Saren Budakeling Karangasem pada Senin (11/12/) Pukul 06: 00 WITA dan diunggah ke group #info_mitigasi di sosial media facebook. Semoga Gunung Agung nomal kembali dan saudara kita di Karangasem bisa beraktivitas seperti sediakala. #InfoDenpasar #bali

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Christmas is usually Bali’s busiest time of year, but the volcanic disruption has left many plane seats and hotel rooms empty. Only about 25 percent of hotel rooms in Bali are being used at the moment. In comparison to this time last year, when 80 percent of the Bali’s hotel rooms were occupied, the figures are worryingly low.

“The island’s tourism industry loses about 250 billion rupiahs (US$18 million) per day as a result of the hotel room and other cancellations,” Tjok Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati, chairman of Bali’s association of hotels and restaurants told The Jakarta Post.

After the eruption was first announced, Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport and the Lombok International Airport closed due to the risk of volcanic ash eroding airplane engines. This closure forced Indonesia’s flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia to cancel more than 300 flights.

During the period of closure, Garuda lost around $1 million per day and although the airports are now reopened – and many airlines are flying to the island and surrounding regions – Bali is still expecting to see a decrease in average tourism for this time of year.

Around a million people were predicted to visit the island between December and January, but with many already canceling planned trips and others choosing safer destinations, Bali is only expecting to see around half of this predicted figure.

The post Bali: Gushing volcano spells disaster for Christmas tourism appeared first on Travel Wire Asia.

Source: travelwireasia.com