Blasts affect tourism outside Bali

Blasts affect tourism outside Bali

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

The Bali bombings on Saturday night have not only affected
tourism and the handicraft industry in Bali, but also in other
parts of the country, including Yogyakarta and West Nusa
Tenggara.

In Yogyakarta, local silver craftsmen said the bombings,
combined with the fuel price hikes, would have a devastating
impact on the industry.

"The prices of raw materials skyrocketed after the government
raised fuel price on Saturday, and now after the second Bali
bombings we predict that fewer tourists will visit Bali and
Yogya, which means fewer of our products will be sold," said
Haryanto, the secretary of a cooperative of silver artisans in
the province.

He also worried that the export channel through Bali would be
closed until the situation on the island returned to normal
following the bombings, which killed at least 22 people. Silver
craftsmen in Yogyakarta export their products to the United
States through Bali.

"We have not yet been affected, but the worse-case scenario,
namely order cancellations, could occur next week," said
Haryanto.

Besides dealing with the effects of the Bali bombings, the
craftsmen also have to cope with the fuel price increases that
were announced on Oct. 1, which have resulted in higher
production costs. Silver materials cost Rp 2.5 million per
kilogram before the fuel price increases, but now cost Rp 2.7
million a kilogram.

"These rising production costs are on top of the smelting and
transportation costs," said Agus Suparwanto, a silver artisan.

The silver industry in Yogyakarta plays an important role in
the local economy. Currently, 104 silver artisans are listed as
members of the Yogyakarta silver cooperative, on top of hundreds
of other silver craftsmen in the province. Agus called on the
local government to introduce measures to protect the industry
from the effects of the Bali bombings and the fuel price
increases.

Separately, a senior tourism official said on Tuesday the
attack in Bali would also affect tourism in West Nusa Tenggara,
because many of the tourists coming to the province enter through
Bali.

However, the chief of the West Nusa Tenggara tourism office,
Tjok Suthendra Rai, predicted the recent bombings would not
affect tourism as much as the Bali bombings in 2002, which killed
202 people, many of them foreign tourists.

"We have not seen a exodus after the explosions in Kuta and
Jimbaran on Saturday. It is an encouraging sign," said Tjok, as
quoted by Antara news agency.