Bali's tourism unaffected by strombolian eruption of Mt Agung: Asita

Denpasar (Antaranews Bali) - The Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (Asita) believes that the tourism industry in Bali is not affected by the strombolian eruption of Mount Agung located in Karangasem District, Bali Province.

Based on the experiences during the past eruptions of Mount Agung in June, the eruption on Monday (July 2) will not have an impact on the tourist arrivals in Bali, Ketut Ardana, chairman of Asita Bali, stated here, Thursday.

Tourist arrivals in Bali remained normal despite the strombolian eruption, he remarked, citing facts that tourist destinations in nine districts of Bali, such as the Kuta Beach and Pandawa Beach, were still crowded with domestic and foreign tourists.

He noted that the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) announced that the danger zone stretched a radius of four kilometers (km) from the mountain`s top.

"Hence, it has no effect on tourism in Bali, which has set a target of attracting 6.5 million foreign tourists this year," he emphasized.

He is optimistic that tourism in Bali remains unaffected, as the danger zone is only within the four-km radius of Mt Agung`s crater, while the rest of Bali is safe.

The most recent eruptions of Mount Agung occurred on Monday (July 2) at 6:41 a.m. and 6:55 a.m. local time, according to data of the PVMBG.(WDY)