Recently, the Australian government has issued a warning to its citizens against unnecessary travel to Indonesia, in light of intelligence suggesting possible attacks against foreigners following notice of the imminent execution of three men convicted of the Bali bombings.
The governor of Bali, Made Mangku Pastika, said that he was not all that concerned about the warnings coming from the Australian government. “I think Australians understand conditions in Bali,” he noted. “We and our defence forces will do our best to safeguard Bali.”
The chairman of the Bali Tourism Board, Ngurah Wijaya, agreed, saying that Australian tourists often ignore the warnings of their government about travel to Bali. “The proof lies in the fact that the number of Australian tourists this year is still high,” he added.
Bali Immigration Office figures show that for the year up to 25 October, 226,779 Australians visited Bali, which is an increase of more than 55 per cent over the numbers for the same period in 2007.
