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local tourism industry groups says the travel advisories issued by several western countries following the suicide bombing of a church in Surakarta (Solo), Central Java, would not affect the number of foreigners visiting the resort island.

“It is understandable for a country to issue a travel advisory because it needs to protect its citizens as well as keep their citizens informed about the most recent situation at their holiday destinations,” Indonesia Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Denpasar chapter head Ida Bagus Gede Sidharta Putra said.

Bali Tourism Agency head Ida Bagus Subhiksu said that the governments of Australia, the UK and US had issued travel advisories following the Solo attack, asking their citizens traveling in Indonesia to increase their alertness.

Sidharta said that a travel advisory was not as serious as travel warning or a travel ban, which would both probably result in the loss of insurance coverage if travelers followed through on plans to visit Bali.

As tourism operators had learned previously, he said, travel advisories have little or no impact on the number of tourists visiting Bali.

Sidharta said the response to the advisory was to continuously improve the island’s security system.

Over the last several years, he said, the island’s administration, security force, traditional communities and tourism industry had succeeded in doing that.

Popular tourism destinations are now being watched continuously by a network of surveillance cameras as well as being regularly patrolled by the police and community security task forces.

The program was initiated and introduced by Governor Made Mangku Pastika, then Bali Police chief, who led the international joint task force in investigating athe 2002 bombings.

— JP/Wasti Atmodjo