Hotel suffers after Bromo eruption<\/p>\n
ID Nugroho, Surabaya<\/p>\n
Hotels near the slopes of Mount Bromo reported on Friday that the
\nnumber of tourists in the area had dropped significantly since
\nBromo erupted several days ago.<\/p>\n
Mount Bromo was quiet on Friday, but local authorities warned
\ntourists and residents to stay away from the crater because of
\nthe possibility of further eruptions.<\/p>\n
Ani Praptiningsih Lestari, an employee at Hotel Cafe View,
\nsaid the hotel was averaging only nine guests a day since Bromo
\nerupted on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
"This is a sharp drop. Before the eruption, at least 20 rooms
\nwere occupied by guests each day," she said.<\/p>\n
The eruption also had a bad effect on the occupancy rate at
\nthe nearby Hotel Lava View. Hefi Kurnia, a hotel employee, said
\nguests abandoned the hotel after the eruption and for several
\ndays all of the rooms were empty.<\/p>\n
However, Hefi said the situation began to return to normal on
\nFriday. "Eleven guests checked in on Friday and there will be 17
\nmore people coming to the hotel on Saturday, 11 of them tourists
\nfrom Netherlands."<\/p>\n
Hefi blamed the media for the sharp drop in the occupancy
\nrate, saying reports had blown the eruption out of proportion.<\/p>\n
Overall, the eruption had little affect on hotels in other
\nareas of East Java province, said an expert.<\/p>\n
"Some hotels may be affected, but overall hotels and
\nrestaurants in East Java have not been affected by the eruption.
\nThere has been no exodus of tourists from the province,"
\nYulianto, chairman of the East Java Hotel and Restaurant
\nAssociation, was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.<\/p>\n
He said that following the eruption, hotels and travel bureaus
\nquickly explained to tourists that the eruption was not major and
\nthat they would be safe.<\/p>\n
Yulianto said these efforts prevented an exodus of tourists
\nand that there had been no cancellations by tour groups planning
\ntrips to the province.<\/p>\n
Chief Brig. Rofik, an officer at a police station near Mount
\nBromo, said police were still preventing people from approaching
\nBromo's crater.<\/p>\n
"A report from the volcanology office today stated that there
\nwas no increase in activity, but people are still being kept away
\nfrom the volcano to avoid possible fatalities," he said.<\/p>\n
The 2,392-meter-high Mount Bromo spewed out black smoke and
\nhot ash on Tuesday, killing two hikers, including a Singaporean.<\/p>\n
Separately, officials on Sangihe Island in North Sulawesi
\nprovince reported that Mount Awu, which also erupted on Tuesday,
\nwas quieter on Friday but still posed a danger.<\/p>\n
"It is too early to say that the danger is over,"
\nvolcanologist Syamsul Rizal was quoted as saying by AP.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hotel-suffers-after-bromo-eruption-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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