Discover the amazing world of Indonesia


Tourism Down in Bali After Bombings

The Indonesian island of Bali had justmetal  detectors,"  she  told  us.
recovered from the 2002 nightclub bombings,
hosting a record number of tourists in 2004,Leaders in the tourism industry are angered
when terrorists struck there again inby acts of terror. Bagus Sudibya, head of
October, bombing two cafes. Patsythe Bali tourism board, says they are
Widakuswara recently visited the island. Incommitted  to  fight  them.
this report, narrated by Amy Katz, she says
Bali, which relies on tourism as its main"We should not let [it] even happen once
industry,  is  again  suffering.again in our country, this type of terrorism,
because we know exactly how difficult and how
There are not many tourists in the usuallydangerous it is towards the future of our
vibrant Kuta section of Bali's capital,society."
Denpasar, in the wake of the bombings of two
cafes there in October. A few visitors areThe Bali government says it faces another
still determined not to let the threat ofobstacle -- travel warnings and bans being
terrorism  spoil  their  vacation  plans.imposed by countries, like the U.S. and
Australia. Gede Nurjaya, the head of Bali's
"We felt that it was still relatively safe tooffice of tourism, is urging those
come here, and it is a great spot to come ongovernments to send people in to evaluate the
holiday,"  said  one  tourist.situation there -- before issuing travel
bans.
"You just take your chance anywhere really,"
said  another.The travel warnings and bans make potential
visitors wary, especially because insurance
The Bali government tourism office says theagencies will not cover tourists who travel
number of visitors dropped following theto  countries  under  travel  bans.
October bombings. Normally, 5,000 to 6,000
tourists visit the island each day. Now itThe two bomb attacks targeting Bali's
is only about 2,000. It is a big blow for atourists have forced the Balinese government
community that relies heavily on tourism.to consider other ways to employ people --
Bali was just recovering from the 2002such as agri-business. But so far there is
bombings, with a record-breaking number ofno real plan of action, and no real
tourists  in  2004.alternative for the tens of thousands of
Balinese people who rely on tourists for
The tourism industry in Bali is making everytheir  livelihood.
effort to ensure safety. Security checks and
extra officers are now standard operatingNi Made offers massages on the beach to
procedure  at  malls  and  hotels.tourists. "I only hope for peace," she says.
"I'm worried about a third bomb, if it
Dewi Karmawan is the Manager of Marketinghappens,  I  don't  think Bali will survive."
Communications at the Hard Rock Hotel, one of
the largest American hotels in Bali. SheMany others share her concern. In this
says the property has three canine units anddevout Hindu province of Indonesia, the
48 security officers. "And also we do bagpeople's daily prayers are for peace and
check, also body check, also under carriagesafety.



1 A B C D E F 84 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130