Lombok tourism 'recovering' after Bali bomb attacks

Lombok tourism 'recovering' after Bali bomb attacks

The hotel occupancy rate on Lombok island, West Nusa Tenggara,
has improved after being badly affected by the Bali bombings on
Oct. 1, a senior hotelier said on Saturday.

Public relations manager with Lombok Holiday Resort Rahayu
Lestari said some 70 percent of guests canceled their bookings
for weeks after the Bali bombings, in which 23 people were
killed.

"But since Friday, guests have begun to trickle back to our
hotel," said Rahayu.

Rahayu suggested the increasing number of tourists visiting
Lombok was due to Idul Fitri and positive news coverage in the
aftermath of the bombings. The media encouraged people to return,
saying the island was safe, said Rahayu.

The tourists are mostly domestic but there are also guests
from Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Singapore, Hong Kong,
Japan and South Korea, he said.

"Usually the low season takes place between September and
December, but since Idul Fitri falls in early November, it can
help raise the hotel occupancy rate," said Rahayu.

According to him, the hotel occupancy rate between Nov. 1 and
Nov. 7 reached 100 percent.

Rahayu said Lombok offered an alternative tourist destination
to Bali, with beautiful places to relax, including Senggigi
beach.
Bomb attacks occurred in three restaurants -- Kafe Nyoman and
Kafe Menega in Jimbaran and Raja's Bar and Restaurant in Kuta
Square -- on Bali on Oct. 1. Twenty-three people were killed in
the explosions, including three alleged suicide bombers. Similar
attacks took place in Denpasar three years ago, killing 202
people, mostly foreign tourists. -- Antara