They will not delay or cancel their planned trips to Bali."Denpasar (ANTARA News) - The tourist resort province of Bali, which had received 4.07 million foreign tourist arrivals up to October, is expected to have attracted more than 4.4 million more tourists by the end of the year.
"Foreign tourist arrivals account for 40 percent of the national target of about 15 million tourists," said the Head of the Bali Provincial Tourism Office, A.A. Yuniartha Gede Putra, here on Friday.
He added that the foreign tourist arrivals in Bali are expected to go up to 5.5 million in 2017.
Putra said foreign tourists in Bali mainly came from ten countries, namely Australia, China, Japan, Britain, France, India, Malaysia, the United States, Germany and South Korea.
"Given the uniqueness of Balinese art and culture, it attracts tourists from various countries around the world," Putra noted.
He noted that he promoted the region in various countries to lure more travelers to Bali. The Ministry of Tourism also made similar efforts.
Besides, steps were taken to improve cultural tourism as Bali has a regional identity.
He urged everyone to ensure that the local tourism department works well so that tourists in Bali feel safe and comfortable as they enjoy their holidays.
Referring to Australian governments travel advisory, tourism observer Putu Gede Perma claimed it will not affect tourist visits to Bali.
"Based on our observations and the results of the academic studies on the impact of this travel advisory, we have deduced that the advisory did not have any impact on the number of Australian tourists visiting Bali," Putu Gede Perma informed here on Thursday.
Australian tourists were of the view that bomb attacks can happen anywhere in the world and were not unique to Bali, he stated.
"They will not delay or cancel their planned trips to Bali," remarked Gede.
Gede, who is also an academician at the Ganesha Education University, hoped that Australian tourists would not blindly follow their governments recommendation.
"We found that Australian tourists had continued to come to Bali, irrespective of how serious the advisory was," he recalled, adding that the situation was unlike what had happened more than a decade ago when Bali was crippled by bomb attacks.
"Yes, it did affect tourism. After the Bali 1 and Bali 2 bombings, a travel advisory had significantly reduced the influx of Australian tourists," he conceded.
He called upon the police and military officers to remain alert to terror threats, particularly after the arrest of terrorists in South Tangerang, Banten, by the polices anti-terror squad, Densus 88, on Wednesday (Dec 21).
"Bali will always remain a target. Security officers and the people should, therefore, continue to maintain security and order. We should be watchful of suspicious visitors," the tourism observer stressed.
(Uu.A014/INE/KR-BSR/B003)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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