Mount Bromo reopened to tourists

Mount Bromo reopened to tourists

SURABAYA, East Java (JP): The local administration here
reopened the foothills of Mount Bromo to the general public on
Friday after they had been declared off-limits for the past week
due to ash emissions spewing from the volcano's crater.

The 2,392-meter high mountain, located on a sand plateau of
the Tengger mountain range and part of the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru
National Park, has been closed to tourists since Nov. 29.

"The emissions have declined so the air is cleaner and the
scenery more visible. Tourists can now visit here again to see
the beautiful scenery," said the head of the East Java Tourism
Agency, I Wayan Yona, after meeting Governor Imam Utomo.

"The mountain still spews ash once in a while but it's not
dangerous. Some tourists even find it interesting and
challenging," he said.

Tourists who would like to enjoy the sunrise, he added, can
ascend the mountain along the usual track through the Pananjakan
area which has been declared safe.

"The crater area is still closed, though, because we're
worried that it'll still be dangerous to go too close," Wayan
added.

The recent volcanic activity and closure of the area, Wayan
said, has reduced the income of local residents who rely on
tourism.

For example, tourist admission fees to the area fell last
weekend from the usual average of Rp 2.5 million (US$263) to just
Rp 97,000.

Mt. Bromo, which is widely known as a tourist attraction, last
spewed out ash on March 3, 1995.

There is no official registration of population in the Tengger
mountain area, but, according to national park data, there are
over 128,000 people living on the 58,800 hectares of the Bromo
National Park. Most of them are farmers.

They live in groups in the hills of the Tengger and Semeru
mountains at altitudes of between 1,000 meters and 3,676 meters.
(nur/hdn)