Tour agent blasts Britain for travel advisory
Tour agent blasts Britain for travel advisory
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Twenty British tourists were reportedly tearful at being ordered by their government to leave Bali after the Oct. 12, 2002, deadly bomb blast.
Jro Gede Karang T. Suarshana, a tour agent on the island, said here on Tuesday the 20 British tourists would petition British Prime Minister Tony Blair to instruct Britons to consider not visiting Bali, rather that banning them to do so.
"I know about it because the 20 tourists were my guests. They cried in their hotel," Antara quoted Jro as saying.
Jro, who owns PT Suar Nusa Jaya Tours travel agency, which arranges tickets and accommodation and provides tour guides, said the 10 tourists left after only three days on Bali. They initially intended to stay for 10 days. He said they had been pressured into leaving Bali.
"Their government could not assure their safety. They did not have travel insurance and they were threatened that they would not be given tickets to go home if they stayed on the island according to their schedule," he said.
Jro said his business has been further affected by the cancellation of 100 bookings for Christmas and New Year's by U.S. customers.
He urged the government not to concentrate on foreign aid to help the tourist industry recover after the Kuta tragedy, which killed almost 200 people, mostly foreigners, and injured more than 320 others.
The government should lobby foreign countries to downgrade their travel advisories for Indonesia because advising people to stay away would not solve the problem, he said.
"The travel ban has made foreign tourists dubious about coming to Bali. Besides, the UN has condemned the tragedy and tried to help repair the tourist industry in Indonesia. Of most importance is that the UN should encourage its members to lift travel bans on Indonesia," he said.
British Ambassador to Indonesia Richard Gozney said recently that his government had not banned its citizens from visiting Indonesia, but had advised them to reconsider plans to visit the country following the Bali tragedy.