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.