T

ourism Minister Arief Yahya said on Tuesday that the tourism sector in Bali had suffered losses of at least US$40 million in potential income over the past few weeks following a series of airport closures because of the ongoing eruption of Mt. Raung in the neighboring province of East Java.

The Mt. Raung eruption has disrupted many flights in and out of Bali since June, as the volcanic ash from the volcano was repeatedly drifted to the resort island, a popular destination for domestic and international tourists.

Data from Ngurah Rai International Airport, located in the provincial capital of Denpasar, shows that the series of recent flight cancellations into Bali affected at least 41,000 international tourists. '€œIf we assume that one tourist would spend an average of $1,000 in Bali, it means [that we have lost] some $40 million,'€ Arief said during a visit to the airport.

The Tourism Ministry, Arief said, would support the recovery of tourism in Bali by, among other things, promoting the island in several upcoming international tourism exhibitions.