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Indonesia assures Bali is safe place amid volcanic trembling
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A resident observes Mount Agung from Rendang Village in Karangasem, Bali on Oct. 21, some 12 kilometers away from the volcano. The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) has recorded a decline in the volcano’s activity. (JP/Nyoman Budhiana)
T
he Indonesian government is trying to convince tourists across the globe that the resort island of Bali is a safe destination amid the alert status of Mount Agung, which has been trembling since last month.
In efforts to convince tourists, the Tourism Ministry has started to organize familiarization trips (fam trips) for travel writers and journalists in Bali.
The ministry has invited nine journalists from China, one of the largest contributors of tourists to Indonesia, to visit the island to provide firsthand information about the latest condition of the island.
“With the fam trips, we want to convince tourists that Bali is a safe place to visit,” the Tourism Ministry’s official in charge of Asia-Pacific market development Vinsensius “Vinsen” Jemadu said in Jakarta on Tuesday as reported by tribunnews.com.
Read also: Foreign celebrities vacation in Bali amid Mount Agung's potential eruptionThis year, the government is set to welcome 15 million tourists from across the country, 2 million of whom are expected to come from China.
The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded that 1.48 million Chinese tourists arrived in Indonesia in the period from January to August this year. The number is 54.78 percent higher than the figure for the corresponding period last year.
There is not yet any data about the decrease in tourist arrivals, but hotels in Bali have started to report a number of postponements of their guests' arrivals, following the increase in Mt. Agung's volcanic activities . (bbn)
