Tourism in Bali expected to recover in December

Tourism in Bali expected to recover in December

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

State Minister for Tourism and Culture I Gde Ardika expects the
tourist industry on the resort island of Bali to return to
preattack levels by the end of this year.

He said the number of foreign tourists visiting the island
should return to the normal level of about 5,000 per day by
December.

The minister said that to achieve this recovery, the
government had launched a massive campaign overseas to encourage
foreigners to visit Bali.

"Unless there is another tragedy or bad news, we are
optimistic that the target can be met," Ardika said on Wednesday.

The tourist industry in Bali plunged after the bombings on
Oct. 12 that killed more than 200 people, mostly foreign
tourists.

Bali is the country's main tourist destination, with the
industry dominating the island's economy.

Ardika said the government was optimistic the situation in
Bali would turn around quicker than initially expected, pointing
to recent data that suggested foreign tourist arrivals in Bali
had risen recently.

A quick recovery for the tourist industry in Bali would be
good news for the country's overall tourist sector.

Before the bombings, the average number of foreign tourist
arrivals in Bali was about 5,000 per day, Ardika said.

After the terrorist attack, that figure fell to 2,803 in
October and 1,170 in November, he said.

But reports on the authorities' arrest of several Bali bombing
suspects seem to have encouraged foreign tourists to return to
the island.

Ardika said the average number of foreign tourist arrivals had
risen to 2,195 per day in December, 2,130 in January and 2,417 in
February.

"We are hoping that it can reach the 3,000 level by June this
year, and finally return to the normal level of 5,000 by December
of this year," Ardika said.

A key factor in reaching this year-end target is improved
security on the island.

"The Bali provincial police have set up a new directorate
dedicated to providing security in Bali," he said.

The government also will continue its campaign to convince
foreign tourists to return to Bali, he said.