Bali tourism will remain Australians' tropical polyground: Experts<\/p>\n
Neil Sands, Agence France-Presse, Sydney<\/p>\n
Bali's iconic status as a tropical playground for young
\nAustralians will rise from the ashes of the car bomb that killed
\nscores of holidaymakers, travel experts said Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Labeling predictions that Bali was finished as one of
\nAustralia's top international tourist destinations as \"naive,\"
\nindustry insiders said numbers were likely to bounce back within
\nmonths.<\/p>\n
About 200,000 Australians a year flock to the Indonesian
\nisland paradise, providing the backbone of Bali's economy and an
\nimportant income source for the archipelago.<\/p>\n
A spokeswoman for the Indonesian airline Garuda said flights
\nout of Australia to Bali were still \"one-third to half full\" of
\ntourists and only about 20 percent of bookings for October had
\nbeen canceled since the attack.<\/p>\n
\"Obviously its early days yet but it's not as bad as we
\nexpected,\" she said.<\/p>\n
FlightCentre marketing general manager Alissa Pollock said New
\nYork's experience after last year's Sept. 11 attacks showed
\ntourist numbers began to recover after six months and the process
\nwould probably be quicker in Bali.<\/p>\n
\"I was in New York earlier this year and it was the same
\ndestination as it was two years ago but now there was a new
\ntourist site -- it's as brutal as that,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Pollock said Bali is so entrenched in Australian hearts that
\nthey would return there after travel warnings issued after the
\nbombing were lifted.<\/p>\n
\"It's a fantastic tourist destination right on Australia's
\ndoorstep,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"The market will be soft for a while but with increased
\nsecurity from the Indonesians a lot of Australians will feel
\ncomfortable traveling there and say 'bugger it, I'm not going to
\nbe put off'.\"<\/p>\n
\"I think a bit of the brazen Aussie spirit will come through.\"<\/p>\n
Her comments were backed up by a surfer in Sydney who believed
\nnow was the time to visit Bali and rediscover the tropical
\nparadise that became a mecca for Australian board riders in the
\n1970s.<\/p>\n
\"All the boys down at Bondi (beach) this morning were talking
\nabout getting over to Bali. They reckon the airfares will be
\ncheap and there'll be no-one there,\" said the 42-year-old Sydney
\nman.<\/p>\n
\"The waves will be empty and they don't reckon they'll be in
\nany danger.\"<\/p>\n
Sydney newlyweds Craig and Karen Ashworth traveled from Sydney
\nto Bali on their honeymoon the morning after the blast and were
\nalso sanguine about the danger, according to Craig's mother Pat.<\/p>\n
\"When I spoke to them there was only one other couple at the
\nresort in Nusa Dua and they were having a very relaxing time,\"
\nshe told AFP.<\/p>\n
Sue Smith, managing director of student travel agency STA
\ntravel, said on average the outlet had experienced only one
\ncancellation per shop.<\/p>\n
\"In terms of the Australian public, we are prolific
\ntravelers, we are resilient travelers,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"In the short-term it may take some people away but I think it
\nwill come back.\"<\/p>\n
But Tony Wheeler, founder of the budget traveler's bible
\nLonely Planet travel guides, told the Sydney Morning Herald
\nnewspaper this week the attack would stop Bali tourism \"stone
\ndead\".<\/p>\n
Lonely Planet advised on its website Monday that travelers
\nhalt plans to travel to Bali until more was known about who
\ncaused the blast.<\/p>\n
It described Bali as the \"glittering jewel in the
\ndeteriorating crown of Indonesia\".<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bali-tourism-will-remain-australians-tropical-polyground-experts-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}