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Tourism Ministry prepares disaster-handling procedure for Mount Agung eruption
Tthe Tourism Ministry recently held a meeting with the Crisis Centre Team to discuss about the current situation at Mount Agung in Bali.
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Deceptively calm: People go about their daily activities in the shadow of the rumbling Mount Agung in Bali. (JP/Zul Trio Anggono)
The Tourism Ministry recently held a meeting with the Crisis Centre Team to discuss the current situation at Mount Agung in Bali.
“We received information on Oct. 3 that around 30 percent of flights to Bali have been canceled,” said Tourism Minister Arief Yahya.
Data from Central Statistics Agency (BPS) shows that the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia between January and August this year is higher compared to similar period last year as it went from 7,356,310 to 9,245,589 people or increased by 25.68 percent.
During the month of August, the increase is 36.11 percent, from 1,031,986 to 1,404,664 people.
According to Arief, 40 percent of these tourists arrived in Bali.
The meeting resulted in three ways for disaster-handling. The first is to get the latest information about Mount Agung. Second is planning the communication strategy that includes determining the key messages and how to distribute the news to reduce panic and queries. And third is planning an evacuation route in case the main airport closes down.
“We’re still monitoring, collecting data and getting in touch with the National Disaster Mitigation Agency [BNPB],” said the ministry's deputy minister for overseas promotion I Gde Pitana.
Read also: Airbnb calls on hosts to accommodate Mt. Agung evacuees
“We received a lot of questions concerning the eruption of Mount Agung during JATA tourism exhibition in Japan. Several Visit Indonesia Tourism Officer [VITO] branches in several countries also received the same questions. This is what we’re handling right now; we’re trying to make sure that tourists aren’t afraid to come to Bali,” he added.
Regarding the travel advisory that has been issued by several countries, Pitana said it is only for the disaster area, not for Bali in general.
To anticipate, the ministry has set up a mitigation strategy in case Mount Agung does erupt. Hotels that will be affected by the eruption are required to stock up masks and supply of clean water. The ministry themselves have prepared diesel generators and is making sure that Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) will not get affected.
“We already have the Standard Operating Precodure (SOP) that we adopted from United Nations' World Tourism Organization, and we always use the global standard,” said Arief.
The SOP has previously been implemented during the Thamrin bombing and eruptions at Mount Raung and Mount Barujari, Lombok.
“The tourism’s 3As should be put into consideration in case of eruption; should tourists only pay 50 to 40 percent from the normal price for accommodation? And if the eruption happens in the west that means tourists need to travel to the east, which is Lombok, which airport can be used and who is taking care of the bus if these tourists got delayed, and what can the hotels provide? It’s not fair if hotels ask for a full payment because these tourists don’t want to stay for long,” he added. (kes)
