Bali has beefed up security arrangements across the island in the lead-up to the execution of three terrorists held responsible for the deadly 2002 bombings, which have left a deep scar on the Balinese psyche.
Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said Tuesday the island's current security situation was suitable.
"I would like to thank the government officials and Balinese people who have worked very hard to create and maintain stability," he said on the sidelines of a swearing-in ceremony here.
Separately, Denpasar Mayor IB Rai Dharmawijaya Mantra said his administration had beefed up security arrangements in the capital by conducting a series of operations targeting people who do not have a proper ID card.
The operation is considered an effective method for preventing suspicious people from entering the province.
Klungkung Regent I Wayan Chandra said similar operations had been conducted in his regency, although it received fewer non-Balinese migrant workers than Denpasar.
Similar measures have also been taken by the Bali chapter of the Association of Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants (PHRI).
"We have tightened security checks at the entry and exit points of each hotel and restaurant," association secretary Perry Markus said.
Chairman of the Bali Tourism Board (BTB) Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya said the increased security measures by the police, regional administrations and tourism industry would improve the province's image abroad.
Denpasar Tourism Agency head Putu Budiasa said the current hotel occupancy rate was lower than last month's but refused to attribute it to the planned execution of the Bali bombers.
Currently, the average occupancy rate of star-rated hotels is 60 percent while that of non-star ones ranges between 45 and 50 percent.
Budiasa said there had been cancellations but insisted the numbers were insignificant and were not caused by anxiety over ramifications from the executions.
Following the government's announcement that the three men would be executed sometime between Nov. 1 and Nov. 15, several countries, including Australia, advised their citizens against traveling to Indonesia.
Many Balinese fear the travel warnings will hamper the island's efforts to rebuild its tourism industry, which suffered major setbacks from the terrorist attacks in 2002 and 2005.
Pastika said he could understand the foreign governments' decision to issue a travel warning.
"I believe they have their reasons for issuing one," he said.
He said the Australian government had sent him a letter explaining its decision and its representatives had also called to brief him on the matter.
"I also explained (to them) in great detail the security situation in Bali. I hope foreign tourists will keep visiting the island," he said.
Meanwhile, interfaith group the National Integration Movement (NIM) said it would organize a public gathering to pray for the souls of the terrorists and for the cessation of violence committed in the name of religion.
"The joint prayer will be held right after the executions," said NIM's executive director, Wayan Sayoga, adding that the prayer would take place at NIM's base in Kuta.
"We do not hate the terrorists but we also do not respect any acts of violence. The executions will send a clear message to the terrorists' supporters that violence is not a solution," he said.
Nyoman Rancini, whose husband Ketut Sumerawat was killed in the bombings, said the executions would neither erase the pain nor heal the wound suffered by the victims' families.
"It will only give us a slight relief. I hope that this will be over quickly," she said.
Wasti Atmodjo, Ni Komang Erviani and Luh De Suriyani contributed to this story.
