The Jakarta Post, December 17, 2004
Terror alerts 'putting off tourists'
Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Renewed warnings by Western states of an imminent terrorist strike in Indonesia have
prompted some foreigners to cancel planned trips to the country, tourism operators
said on Thursday.
The Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (Asita) said several travel
agencies had reported cancellations by groups of foreign tourists over the last few
days.
And there will possibly be more cancellations to come following terror warnings by the
United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand, it added.
"The warnings are coming in December, a peak season for tourists visiting and
spending Christmas and New Year's here. This hurts our business a lot," Asita
spokeswoman Meity Robot told The Jakarta Post.
However, she said she did not have any data yet on the number of cancellations.
"I think the tourists who canceled must be from non-Asian countries. Most Asian
visitors, especially those from Southeast Asia, are already used to these kinds of
warnings," Meity said.
Australia issued a fresh warning on Wednesday that a terrorist attack could be carried
out soon in Indonesia, possibly targeting Western establishments such as hotels.
New Zealand issued a similar warning against traveling to Indonesia, including Bali,
over Christmas and the New Year after the government received reports that terrorists
were planning an attack.
A more specific warning came from the United States Embassy in Jakarta, which
issued an alert over a possible attack on Thursday or Friday on a Hilton hotel in
Indonesia.
Meity said the simultaneous warnings would damage Indonesia's tourism sector and
the country's reputation as a tourist destination.
"Since the Bali bombings in 2002, we have suffered poor arrivals of foreign tourists.
Renewed warnings like these will not help," she said.
Separately, the public relations manager for the Jakarta Hilton International, Eduardo
Parengkuan, reassured the public that the hotel had tightened security.
"Since we received the warnings from the Australian and U.S. embassies yesterday,
we have beefed up our security personnel and asked for help from the Jakarta Police,"
he told the Post.
Eduardo said there had been no cancellations and that everything was normal at the
hotel.
"Our occupancy rate is currently 60 percent out of 1,100 rooms, which is better than
our average," he said.
He said several guests had asked about the hotel's security system following the
warnings and that they were satisfied with the Hilton's answer.
Eduardo said the hotel had not received any bomb threats before the terror warnings
were issued.
"We only receive warnings from embassies," he added.
Meanwhile, Qantas Airways, Australia's main airline, said it was offering full refunds
with no penalties to travellers who canceled flights to Indonesia, Reuters reported.
Qantas and Australian travel agents said they had received few calls from concerned
passengers.
"With a destination like Bali, it's been so difficult for people to get there, with flights
being full. People are probably a little bit reluctant to cancel straight away," Qantas
flight center spokesman Haydn Long was quoted as saying.
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