B

ali has failed to attract foreign tourists leaving Thailand's political problems, said an official at Ngurah Rai International Arport.

Dimyati, assistant public relations manager of state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I, said there had been no increase in flights from Thailand to Bali.

"Everything is normal. We have regular flights to Bangkok by Thai Airways and Air Asia," Dimyati said.

Anti-government protesters managed to force their way into the venue of the East Asian Summit at a hotel in Pattaya, Thailand, on Sunday.

Many foreign leaders were trapped in the hotel and had to be evacuated on board helicopters to U Tapao military airbase.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his entourage had just landed at the airbase when the tension escalated.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva postponed the event, in effect canceling the summit. He also announced a state of emergency in Pattaya and Bangkok, as well as the surrounding provinces.

A number of western countries have issued travel advisories regarding Thailand to their citizens.

Johny Salvo from Dwi Daya Travel Agents said the political situation in Thailand would slightly affect the country's tourism.

"Tourists who flee from Thailand prefer to rearrange their holidays to Japan or South Korea", Salvo said.

The high cost of flights is the main reason tourists are reluctant to spend their holiday in Bali, he said.

"Bali to Bangkok airfares are usually sold at around US$400, excluding hotel and transport," he said.

Meanwhile, travel costs to Japan and Korea are cheaper, he added.

Salvo also said the lack of direct flights from Bangkok to Denpasar also prevented many tourists from choosing Bali as their holiday destination.

Currently only Thai Airways and Air Asia offer direct flights from Denpasar to Bangkok and vice versa.

"Garuda Indonesia has a regular flight to Bangkok but passengers have to transit for a few hours at Soekarno-Hatta Airport," he said.

Even when passengers use direct flights from Bangkok to Denpasar, they have to wait for at least two hours at Ngurah Rai Airport to undergo various immigration procedures, which are complicated and time consuming.

Tourists from certain countries have to apply for visa-on-arrival. This process usually takes a long time because of a lack of efficient human resources at the airport's immigration section.

There are not enough number of computers forcing tourists to queue for hours.

Dimyati admitted the Ngurah Rai Airport management must improve its services for visitors by upgrading its technology and therefore reducing the visa processing time.

Bali is now working hard to attract tourists from Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. Currently, Japan, South Korea and Australia are Bali's top tourist markets.