Volcanic eruption hurts Indonesia tourism

Cold lava from Mount Agung erruption flows on the river Yeh Sah (Source: Barcroft Images)

Potential loss from the eruption of Mount Agung in Indonesia’s famous tourist island - Bali since November 2017 is estimated at 9 trillion IDR (665 million USD).

Minister of Tourism Arief Yahya was quoted by local media as saying that before the eruption, Bali welcomed about 15,000 foreign tourists per day, with daily foreign exchange estimated to reach 250 billion IDR. But after the eruption, the number of foreign visitors dropped by around 1 million.

According to the minister, due to natural disasters, the nation’s target of 15 million foreign arrivals might not be achieved this year.

To meet the new target of 14 million foreign visitors, Arief Yahya said the government is conducting massive campaigns to promote other destinations, particularly the Riau Islands. Riau Islands has become one of key tourist destinations in Indonesia, apart from Jakarta and Bali.

Indonesia received 1.15 million foreign tourists in October 2017, a reduction of 4.54 percent, with a major cause named as the Agung eruption.

VNA

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