TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Tourists enjoying Bali despite rumbling volcano
Keep calm and surf: A group of tourists learns how to surf at Kuta Beach in Bali on Monday
Change Size
K
span class="inline inline-center">Keep calm and surf: A group of tourists learns how to surf at Kuta Beach in Bali on Monday. Tourism in Bali has remained relatively normal despite the alert level of Mount Agung on the island being at the highest level.(JP/Zul Trio Anggono)
Sanur beach in Bali was crowded on Sunday afternoon. Local and foreign tourists were enjoying the white sands of one of Bali’s most popular beaches.
Some were swimming, but others opted to stay out of the water and enjoy sun bathing while reading a book. Open-air cafes along the beach were packed, despite the current alert level of Mount Agung, some 100 kilometers north of the beach, that was still at the highest level.
“We are really enjoying our trip. [We do not feel any] fear at all,” Davinia Van der Ent from the Netherlands told The Jakarta Post.
Davinia was on holiday with her boyfriend Jeffrey Hassing. The couple had been staying in Sanur for almost one week. Before arriving in Sanur, they had also explored Ubud and Gili Trawangan in Lombok.
“We felt one or two tremors [during our stay in Ubud]. We don’t see any worry among the local people, they just [continue] life as normal. They know what they are doing better than we do,” Hassing said.
He added they did not cancel their trip to Bali even though they heard of increasing volcanic activity from the news before departing.
However, they now checked the news on a daily basis to see if anything had changed regarding the level of volcanic activity.
“People here are so friendly. So you will always feel safe,” Davinia added.
Similar attitudes were also seen at many tourist sites across the island, such as in Kuta and Nusa Dua.
Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya, a hotel owner in Sanur, said tourists were still enjoying Bali because information about the level of volcanic activity was being disseminated well.
“They know exactly how far the volcano is from Sanur and that even if it erupted, it would not affect the whole of Bali,” he emphasized.
Wijaya said that the management of his hotel had actively informed its guests to avoid fake news on social media.
But he acknowledged some booking cancellations were inevitable, especially from those made online.
At least five countries have issued travel advisories regarding Mt. Agung, namely the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
Stakeholders in the tourism sector have established an information center called the Bali Tourism Hospitality
Task Force.
“The Bali Tourism Hospitality Task Force has been formed to provide accurate and reliably sourced information.” Bali Tourism Agency Head A Gede Yuniartha Putra said.
The Danish Honorary Consul in Bali, Ida Ayu R. Sutamaya, welcomed the launch of the information center. She said many Danish tourists had decided to postpone their plans to visit Bali.
“But now the government seems better prepared,” she said.
The New Zealand Honorary Consul in Bali, Indy Siddik, said that the travel advice issued by New Zealand has not significantly impacted the number of Kiwis visiting Bali. “Many Kiwis are still coming to the island,” she said. “The travel advisory is not a warning, but rather advice.”
Indy suggested that a call center should be provided for tourists seeking accurate information about the volcano.
Earlier, Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika declared that only 28 villages in Karangasem regency are listed as in a danger zone. Bali has more than 700 villages across the island.
