Bali? What?! Didn’t they just have a volcano erupt over there? Weren’t planes grounded for like a week and Aussies stuck on the island for even longer?
Yes, yes and yes. Mt Agung did recently erupt in Bali, which did force the airport to close for a couple of days and visitors to extend their stay.
A natural event can disrupt a holiday, but it can also lead to generous discounts.
As is the case over in Bali right now, where hotel capacity has dropped drastically to around 10-20 percent despite the Christmas holiday peak season only around the corner.
Speaking at a media update in Sydney last night, Indonesia’s tourism leaders said while they understand people’s hesitation to visit, they also want people to know that the island is safe, there’s a contingency plan in place should another event occur and it won’t get any cheaper to visit than it is right now.
“Mt Agung is a challenge for us, but within the challenge comes a great opportunity… and for flexible travellers, this means the best discounts to Bali.”
William Kalua, Wonderful Indonesia Staff to the Director for Asia Pacific Tourism Marketing
Kalua urged Travel Agents to get in touch with their hotelier partners on the ground in Bali and ask for their “best price”, while travellers can find sales through their usual channels, including two nights for the price of three at top resorts.
While the deals may be enticing, there’s still that little voice saying, “but is it safe?”
Well, Mt Agung is located in the eastern part of Bali, it covers only two percent of the total island and is located over four hours away from all of the Aussie hot spots.
“We can say it’s safe because most of the major attractions and the popular Aussie spots are far from the volcano,” Kalua said. “The closest is Ubud, and that’s a three-to-four hour drive.”
Additionally, Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism has a plan in place to deal with any future events, which includes setting up a safe zone, providing visitors with reliable information, place airports on alert and prepare buses to transport guests from gateways should they be forced to shut down.
Image: Robert Collins/Unsplash
However, as volcanoes are unpredictable, Kalua said right now is a great time for travellers with flexible schedules to visit, particularly if they haven’t yet planned a trip for the upcoming Christmas holidays.
“This creates a rare opportunity for flexible travellers because hotels and other accommodation providers are offering very steep discounts for visitors,” he said.
“The Ministry is instructing hoteliers to give discounted rates during this period and make it more enticing for tourists to visit.”
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