Cathay cuts back flights to Bali

Cathay cuts back flights to Bali

Bali's battered tourist industry suffered another severe blow
Wednesday, when Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific announced it had
cut back flights in the wake of the bombing on the Indonesian
island resort.

Cathay suspended three overnight services to the Balinese
capital Denpasar from Oct. 19 to the end-November, cutting the
number of weekly flights to Indonesia to seven from 10, Cathay
spokeswoman Maria Yu said in Hong Kong on Wednesday.

"The three flights were suspended for commercial reasons
because of the 50 percent drop in the number of actual and
advance bookings to Bali between Oct. 15 and Oct. 30," following
the bomb blasts, she said.

Flight schedules to other Indonesian destinations have not
been affected, she added.

Many of the tourists who used the route were from Japan or
Europe, Yu said.

Following the devastating October 12 explosion in the Kuta
area of Bali, in which more than 190 people were killed with
hundreds more wounded, most Hong Kong tour operators suspended
tours to Bali because tourists feared for their safety, said a
spokesman for Hong Kong Travel Industry Council. -- AFP