Indonesia says tourism on track to recovery after Bali bombing

Indonesia's tourism industry, battered by the October 12 bombing on Bali island, is on track to recover by the end of the year, Tourism Minister I Gede Ardika said Monday.

Ardika said tourists were slowly returning to Bali three months after the blast that killed 190 people and led to a 75 per cent drop in tourist arrivals and more than a 50 per cent decline in hotel occupancy.

Last month, tourist arrivals to Bali surged to 63,270, almost double the 32,296 in November, but still trailing the 91,939 recorded in October, he said.

"Indications show that we are on the right track to recovery," he told reporters after a dialogue with Malaysian tour operators and airline representatives.

"By the end of 2003, the government of Indonesia hopes that the tourism industry would return to normal and be ready to expand."

Tourism is the country's second largest source of revenue after oil and gas.

Before the Bali blast, Ardika said Indonesia had forecast tourist arrivals in 2002 to hit 5.4 million and contribute 5.4 billion dollars to the economy, based on an average 10-day stay and spending of 100 dollars per person per day.

The figure was later revised to 4.3-4.5 million visitors but Ardika said the government found the situation "was not as bad" as expected.