"We have activated the Bali Tourism Hospitality program as a precautionary measure against all issues related to tourists who are, will, and have been traveling to Bali," Minister Arief Yahya noted in a written statement received by ANTARA here on Friday.
Bali Tourism Hospitality will serve as a Crisis Center of the Ministry of Tourism while providing information services and minimizing the impacts of eruptions on Bali`s tourism sector.
Earlier, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport had to be closed temporarily on Friday June 29, 2018, from 3 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, but it reopened at 2:30 p.m. local time.
The Ministry of Tourism has taken some on-field precautionary steps.
"Firstly, we apologize to tourists in Bali for this inconvenience," Yahya noted, adding that he has ensured that his team will continue to monitor and collect important information in Bali.
The second step is to temporarily stop Bali`s promotional programs across all media platforms, including online and conventional, at home and abroad, until the situation returns to normal.
"This is the standard procedure outlined by UNWTO - United Nations World Tourism Organization," Yahya pointed out.
The third step is activating the dark sit service on web indonesia.travel to provide accurate and up-to-date information related to the activities of Mount Agung.
The fourth step is that the government and industry players come up with a solution for some 160 thousand tourists, who are stranded as their flights are canceled, and they should be transferred to Juanda airport in Surabaya, East Java, and Lombok International Airport, West Nusa Tenggara.
Ngurah Rai Airport`s General Manager Yanus Suprayogi pointed out that based on the daily schedule, 446 flights cannot operate on Friday (June 29), and 74,928 passengers are forecast to be affected due to this condition.
Some 239 domestic flights and 207 international flights did not operate. Of the domestic flights, 118 were arrivals and 121 departures. Of the international flights, some 103 were arrivals and 104 were departures.
"Foreign tourists, who have to check out from Bali, will be transferred to Surabaya and Lombok. They are expected to gather at the Ngurah Rai Airport as the meeting point. All free of charge," Yahya noted.
Those who have to check out today may stay a night until tomorrow at the hotel, and it is free of charge. The next day, they will be charged the lowest rate of the hotel.
"Thanks to the tourism industry players in Bali. The more we give, the more we will receive," Yahya noted.
The minister also urged service providers to offer a comfortable and fun journey to tourists during the trip from Denpasar to Surabaya and from Denpasar to Lombok.
Banyuwangi, Jember, and some areas travelled by tourists can also be promoted, he added.
"I hope the eruption of Mount Agung would soon be over, so that the tourism climate in Bali will improve. The impact of the airport`s closure is quite significant, as Bali is a tourist destination that receives 40 percent of foreign tourists, who enjoy Wonderful Indonesia," he noted.
(KR-LWA/INE)
(T.SYS/B/KR-BSR/A/H-YH)
Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
