Australian tourists return to Bali

Australian tourists are returning to the Indonesian island of Bali after the fatal bomb attacks on the island in 2002 and 2005 and several drug cases apparently drove them away.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Indonesia jumped to fourth place on the list of the most popular overseas destinations for Australians in 2007.

The ABS said the total number of Australian travellers increased by nearly 65 percent to a total of roughly half a million.

In 2006, Indonesia was the ninth choice for Australian travellers. Other top destinations for Australian tourists are New Zealand, the United States, Thailand and Hong Kong.

Competitive international airfares are said to be one reason for Australians taking more overseas holidays.

The number of international arrivals to the archipelago’s main tourist location, Bali, fell dramatically after the October 2002 and October 2005 Bali bombings, as travellers feared further attacks.

The highly publicised drug trial of Australian Schapelle Corby also deterred tourists. Corby is currently serving a 20-year sentence for drug smuggling in Bali but many Australians still believe she is innocent.

The so-called “Bali nine” case involving a nine members of a drug ring caught trying to smuggle 8.2 kg of heroin from Bali into Australia in April 2005 has also created fierce debate. Six of them are currently awaiting execution in Bali.

The Indonesian government has a goal to attract seven million tourist arrivals during this year’s Visit Indonesia programme and expects to make some 6.7 billion dollars in foreign exchange revenue from tourism this year.

Last year, Indonesia received around 5.5 million international visitors, which was half a million short of official targets, but still generated around 5.3 billion dollars in foreign exchange income.