Australia issues travel advisory on Bali

The warning of the Australian government, issued for security purposes, has affected Bali’s tourism sector due to cruise ships avoiding the island

The Australian government via Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade announced that terrorist attacks are expected for Indonesia and calling for caution while visiting the area, as they continue to “receive information that indicates that terrorists may be planning attacks in Indonesia, which could take place anywhere at any time.”

After the release of the Australian travel advisory, cruise ships began canceling their stops in Bali.
Harbormaster Wayan Suarta declared about the scheduled docking of the ships:

“The cruise ships notified us that they would cancel their plans to visit Bali. They only said it was because of security reasons without providing any further details. I think the cancellation has something to do with Australia’s travel advisory because the cruise ships depart from Australia, and most of the passengers are Australians.”

Cancellation are affecting cruise tourism in Bali, as the island is prepared to welcome more than 60 cruise ships during 2016.

Hotels here, on the other hand, remain unaffected by the warning, as Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana, head of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), explains:

“Cruise tourism has different characteristics, as their trip highly depends on the cruise’s management. But I can say that the number of foreign tourists visiting Bali is still high.”

As Australia ranks first in the top of foreign tourists visiting Bali, the Indonesian Tourism Industry Association (GIPI) urged the government to take measures and show the media and the world that Bali and Indonesia are safe destinations.

“When the travel advisory was issued, the government should have given a statement to counter the issue. Unfortunately, the government did not do anything. We also need to do something to improve the situation. We could, for example, invite Australian media to visit Bali, so that they can report on the actual conditions in Bali,” GIPI's leader, Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya, suggested.