Japanese tour firms cancel Bali trips after deadly blast

Japanese tour firms cancel Bali trips after deadly blast

Agencies, Tokyo

Japanese tour operators said Tuesday they would suspend all
trips to Bali after the deadly bomb blast on the Indonesian
island that claimed more than 180 lives.

Japan Travel Bureau (JTB) Corp. and Nippon Travel Agency Co.
Ltd., Japan's number one and number three travel firms, said they
would halt all Bali trips leaving between now and next Monday.

"Following the explosion in Bali, the (Japanese) foreign
ministry upgraded the level of travel warning for Bali and we
have decided to suspend the tour packages accordingly," said a
spokesman for JTB.

JTB declined to elaborate on the impact of the week-long
travel suspension but said the cancellation affected 110 Japanese
tourists on Monday alone. All those whose holidays were canceled
would receive full refunds, it added.

Nippon Travel Agency said the move would affect 290 people.

Kinki Nippon Tourist Co. Ltd., Japan's second largest travel
operator, said it would continue to run tour packages for Bali,
however.

Although Bali is one of the most popular destinations for
Japanese tourists, JTB and Nippon Travel Agency downplayed the
negative economic impact after the deadly bomb blast on the
Indonesian resort island.

"Bali is popular among young Japanese but Hawaii and Guam are
much more popular. We are not too concerned about the impact,"
said Norio Torigoe, a spokesman for Nippon Travel Agency.

Some 444,000 Japanese visit Indonesia every year, according to
the foreign ministry.

Meanwhile, Taiwan government, alarmed at the number of its
nationals still flocking to Bali after weekend bombings, has
urged its citizens not to travel to the island.

"Before the situation in Bali becomes clear, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs reminds people not to travel there for the time
being," the ministry said in a statement late on Monday.

Many Taiwan holidaymakers still flew to Bali after Saturday
night's bombings because they had been denied refunds, domestic
media said. The tourism bureau has since ordered travel agencies
to pay refunds of up to 80 percent.

At least one Taiwan citizen was missing in the blasts that
flattened a popular strip of bars in Kuta.

Separately, South Korean carrier Korean Air said Tuesday it
had suspended flights to Bali after the blast.

Korean Air offered chartered flights to Bali twice a week for
Hana Tour Service Inc., a leading tour agency in South Korea.

"The flight service will be suspended until Dec. 21 at the
request of Hana Tour," Korean Air spokesman Crimson Lee said.

He said a Korean Air plane was to fly to Bali Wednesday to
bring back South Korean tourists.

Behind the business suspension was "a strong government
recommendation" after the explosion that destroyed a Bali
nightclub popular with foreign tourists on Saturday, Hana Tour
officials said.

Bali has become one of the most popular honeymoon destinations
for South Koreans.

Two South Korean sisters are still missing in Bali three days
after the blast. Moon Eun-young, 31, and Moon Eun-Jong, 29, were
believed to have been inside one of the clubs when the blast
occurred.

The ministry has advised South Koreans to refrain from
traveling to the Indonesian resort island.

On Monday, European tour operators announced the suspension of
all trips to Bali after a deadly weekend bombing on the
Indonesian resort island, saying they feared a global drop in
foreign travel.