Bali’s Rumbling Volcano Leaves Tourist Industry Gasping for Air<br />But Ubud, a popular destination about 20 miles southwest of the volcano, has seen a sharp<br />drop in visitors, as has much of the rest of Bali, Indonesia’s top tourism spot.<br />7, 2017<br />UBUD, Indonesia — His taxi was parked nearby, but Wayan Yanjun was sitting on the sidewalk along the main street in Ubud on the resort island of Bali.<br />The people who will be affected most by this situation are the people with the lowest income." Some Balinese compare the current downturn to the<br />aftermath of the 2002 Bali bombing, when Islamic extremists blew up a popular nightclub in Kuta and killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.<br />Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati, head of Bali’s hotel and restaurant association, said<br />that the island’s hotel occupancy rate is now at 20 percent, compared with 60 percent this time last year.<br />While nearly all of Bali’s resort hotels and tourist attractions are well outside the danger zone, uncertainty over future eruptions<br />and possible airport closings has prompted many travelers to cancel planned trips to Bali or avoid it altogether.
