Bali Welcomes China Decision to Withdraw Travel Warning

TEMPO.CO, Denpasar - Bali Tourism Office head Anak Agung Gede Yuniartha Putra has welcomed China`s decision to withdraw travel warning over Mount Agung eruption. “China believes that the danger only resides on Mount Agung. Other destinations are not dangerous,” he said in Denpasar on Thursday, December 28.

The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) reports that the alert status only applies in the radius of 8-10 kilometers from the crater of Mount Agung. The regions beyond the radius are safe.

Read: China Lifts Flight Ban to Bali

Agung said that China’s decision to allow its citizen to visit Bali will help the region to achieve the target of foreign tourist arrivals. He explained that the number of foreign tourist visits as of November stood at 5.4 million people. The full-year target is 5.5 people.

Since the closure of I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport on November 27, the number of foreign tourist arrivals had dropped. The airport resume full operations on November 29. Agung said that 14,800 tourists have visited Bali since the airport was opened on December 24.

“Excluding Chinese. Now that China has withdrawn [the travel warning], more will come,” he said.

As for the efforts to attract more visitors, Agung said hotels are still offering discounts. “Discounts are still being offered, but only around 20 percent to attract more tourists,” he noted.

China issued a travel warning that applies from November 27 to January 4 over the eruption of Bali volcano Mount Agung before withdrawing it on December 26.

BRAM SETIAWAN