A hot Bali spared effects of Lombok quakes

In the wake of the August 5 earthquake, travel intelligence analyst ForwardKeys – in a study released on August 28 – estimated a 42.9 per cent plunge in bookings for Bali.

India, which recently entered the top five source markets for Indonesia, has shown relative greater resilience to the quakes compared to other regional markets like Singapore and China, according to the report.

Sanjay Mehta, chief executive of India’s Trans Globe Travels, said: “Direct flights from Mumbai to Bali (have spurred demand for Bali). In fact after getting news of the Lombok quakes, more of our customers are requesting Bali.”

News reports and an overall availability of information have kept travellers informed and up-to-date on the situation, hence offering assurance that Bali is generally safe to travel to, explained Mehta.

“They know how far Lombok is from Bali. Nowadays travellers are smart; they know where the place (most affected is) and feel they have nothing to worry about,” he said.

“(Moreover), we refer to travel advisories from the Indonesian tourism ministry that have kept us updated on the situation. This is something the tourism board is doing fantastically (to buffer travel confidence).”

At Agent Holiday from Australia, a key feeder market for Bali, travel to the island destination likewise has “not at all” been affected, spokesperson Debby Hunter shared.

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