Concerns over the rumblings of Mount Agung have result in an estimated 20 to 30 per cent of cancellations in bookings this month, says Indonesia’s minister of tourism Arief Yahya.
However, Bali’s governor Made Mangku Pastika stressed that Bali remained safe for travellers, and appealed to countries not to place a travel warning on the island.
The minister said it was difficult to identify the precise number of cancellations of individual travel programmes to Bali due to a lack of concrete data, hence he extrapolated his own assessment based on the average arrivals and average length of stay.
Arief shared that on average, international daily arrivals to Bali stood at 15,000, with an overall average length of stay of four days.
The minister was speaking to the media in Bali following his visit to the island. He earlier issued a media statement stating that airlines, hotels and attractions in Bali were not affected by cancellations that were related to the raised alert levels for Mount Agung.
In the meantime, the Bali government has developed contingency plans should the Mount Agung situation worsen and the Bali airport is required to close.
Last week, Bali’s governor Made Mangku Pastika informed the consulates operating in Bali that the government would provide assistance to stranded travellers, such as helping them depart through neighbouring airports in Surabaya or Lombok.
“Should Ngurah Rai International Airport be closed due to Mount Agung’s eruption, we will help arrange their visas, accommodations and provide the transport (from Bali to the nearest airport). We will take care of them the best we can,” assured Made.
