Hotel suffers after Bromo eruption

Hotel suffers after Bromo eruption

ID Nugroho, Surabaya

Hotels near the slopes of Mount Bromo reported on Friday that the number of tourists in the area had dropped significantly since Bromo erupted several days ago.

Mount Bromo was quiet on Friday, but local authorities warned tourists and residents to stay away from the crater because of the possibility of further eruptions.

Ani Praptiningsih Lestari, an employee at Hotel Cafe View, said the hotel was averaging only nine guests a day since Bromo erupted on Tuesday.

"This is a sharp drop. Before the eruption, at least 20 rooms were occupied by guests each day," she said.

The eruption also had a bad effect on the occupancy rate at the nearby Hotel Lava View. Hefi Kurnia, a hotel employee, said guests abandoned the hotel after the eruption and for several days all of the rooms were empty.

However, Hefi said the situation began to return to normal on Friday. "Eleven guests checked in on Friday and there will be 17 more people coming to the hotel on Saturday, 11 of them tourists from Netherlands."

Hefi blamed the media for the sharp drop in the occupancy rate, saying reports had blown the eruption out of proportion.

Overall, the eruption had little affect on hotels in other areas of East Java province, said an expert.

"Some hotels may be affected, but overall hotels and restaurants in East Java have not been affected by the eruption. There has been no exodus of tourists from the province," Yulianto, chairman of the East Java Hotel and Restaurant Association, was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.

He said that following the eruption, hotels and travel bureaus quickly explained to tourists that the eruption was not major and that they would be safe.

Yulianto said these efforts prevented an exodus of tourists and that there had been no cancellations by tour groups planning trips to the province.

Chief Brig. Rofik, an officer at a police station near Mount Bromo, said police were still preventing people from approaching Bromo's crater.

"A report from the volcanology office today stated that there was no increase in activity, but people are still being kept away from the volcano to avoid possible fatalities," he said.

The 2,392-meter-high Mount Bromo spewed out black smoke and hot ash on Tuesday, killing two hikers, including a Singaporean.

Separately, officials on Sangihe Island in North Sulawesi province reported that Mount Awu, which also erupted on Tuesday, was quieter on Friday but still posed a danger.

"It is too early to say that the danger is over," volcanologist Syamsul Rizal was quoted as saying by AP.