National

Bali Expected to Recover by Mid 2006
Wednesday, 30 November, 2005 | 17:50 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:It is expected that Bali will recover from the impact of the second bombings within the next six to seven months.

Jero Wacik, the Indonesian Minister of Culture and Tourism, has said that the efforts carried out have really paid off.

“The recovery of Bali following the second bombings will not take as long as the first bombings (2002), which took two years,” stated Wacik on Tuesday (29/11).

According to the minister, both Australian and American tourists have already started to return to Bali.

Many have even booked their accommodation for the end of this year.

Wacik said that he has invited international journalists to travel around Bali and report how Bali is now safe.

Ambassadors are also invited to Bali to prove that island is already safe.

“We encourage sports matches, party gatherings and even work meetings to be held in Bali in order to revive this region,” stated Wacik.

According to the minister, the targeted foreign tourist arrivals in Bali are too far below expectations, despite the acts of terrorism on October 1.

Of the annual 1.7 million foreign tourist arrivals targeted, by September the number of tourist arrivals in Bali had reached 1.2 million.

“I’m convinced that the number of 1.7 million shall be reached during the end of year holidays,” stated Wacik.
(Khairunnisa-Tempo News Room)