T

he rumbles coming from the summit of Mount Agung in Bali have not only affected the thousands of people who have fled their homes, but have also started to impact tourism on Indonesia’s most famous resort island.

Tourism operators in Bali have raised concerns after thousands of foreign tourists canceled their trips to the Island, chairman of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati said.

“Around 70,000 tourists have canceled their plans to visit Bali between October and November,” he said after a tourism stakeholders meeting in Denpasar on Tuesday.

The tourists initially planned to visit the island for meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition (MICE) activities.

“As of now, we haven’t received reports of cancellations from independent travelers, only from those who aimed to conduct MICE activities,” said the Ubud royal palace figure.

Most of the cancellations have come from Chinese and European tourists. He said, so far, no cancellations had been made by tourists from Australia, the country that contributes the most foreign tourists to Bali, despite its government issuing travel warnings to its citizens.

Many of the cancellations were caused by the spread of inaccurate information on social media about the current situation in Bali after its highest volcano, located in Karangasem regency, began displaying heightened seismic activity and causing growing quakes, prompting authorities to increase its alert status to the highest level last month.

Experts have said an eruption is imminent, however no instruments can predict when the eruption will take place. The last time the volcano erupted was in 1963, killing 1,500 people.

However, businesspeople remain upbeat about Bali’s tourism industry, which sees at least 15,000 tourists arrive on the island every day. Oka also argued that the current month of October was not a peak season for tourism in Bali, meaning hotel occupancy rates on the island reached around 60 percent.

A loss for one town could also be prove a fortune for another during this time of looming disaster. Oka said that Candidasa, a seaside town in eastern Bali, was currently enjoying an increased hotel occupancy rate after tourists in the town of Amed, known for its stunning diving spots, moved to Candidasa.

Amed, located 15 kilometers from Mt. Agung, usually bustles with tourists but has been left almost empty following warnings that Mt. Agung could erupt at any time, Reuters reported. Many cafes and restaurants are empty in contrast to the usual crowds that fill dive centers.

In an attempt to counter the spread of hoaxes about Bali, Bali tourism stakeholders have agreed to establish an information center for tourism. The center will provide factual information about the condition of Mt. Agung.

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika, who attended the meeting, emphasized that Bali was safe for people, including for tourists. He expressed he hopes that tourists would not have doubts about visiting the island.

Should an eruption take place, it would only impact 28 villages in the Karangasem area that are within the danger zone, declared within 12 km of the crater. Among those 28 villages is Tulamben, a popular tourism and diving destination.

“Other destinations, such as Nusa Dua, Kuta, Sanur and other locations that are tens of kilometers away from the mountain are in the safe zone,” he said adding that locals and tourists were encouraged to stay away from the danger zone, and should especially refrain from engaging in dangerous activities like climbing the volcano.

He asserted that the administration now had better preparation and disaster mitigation capacities thanks to information technology and disaster management measures. The situation would be different to what occurred during the 1963 eruption, Pastika added.