T

ourists to Karo regency, North Sumatra, have not been deterred by Mount Sinabung's latest eruption last
Sunday.

Karo Tourism Agency head Dinasti Sitepu said that the volcanic activity did not affect tourists visiting the region.

'It is business as usual. There was no decrease in the number of tourists,' he said in Medan on Friday.

Some domestic and foreign tourists even considered the eruptions an added attraction and locals had started to get accustomed to the mountain's activty, he said.

Foreign and domestic tourist arrivals dropped for several months after Mt. Sinabung erupted in September last year. Hotel operators reported that uncertainty over the continuous volcanic activity had resulted in cancellations and a drop in occupancy.

However, outside the hazard radius, the situation saw improvements a couple of months ago.

Dinasti also said that Sunday's eruption did not affect sites of interest in Brastagi, Kabanjahe, Tongging and Taman Simalem as they were far enough away.

'I call on tourists to not worry about Karo. It's safe for anyone to visit,' he said.

He said tourists headed for Lake Toba or Tongging village from Karo go through Tongkoh village in Tiga Panah district.

Association of Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants (PHRI) Tanah Karo branch secretary, Edi Sofyan Sinaga, said the association had not yet received any reports on hotel cancelations in Karo.

This, he said, indicated that the eruption did not have a negative impact on the hospitality business.

'They have even started taking reservations for Idul Fitri in Brastagi. This proves that tourists are not worried about the eruptions,' Sinaga said.

Owner of Sibayak Hotel and Simalem Resort, Eddy Sukardi, concurred, saying that he had experienced an increase of 40 percent in the number of guests in his hotels since last month. Most, he said, were foreign tourists.

'The tourism sector in Karo was badly affected by the previous eruptions. However, it has been slowly returning to normal,' he told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

Eddy said he hoped more tourists would visit Karo in the future especially as the alert status of Mt. Sinabung was lowered.