Ministry of Tourism Establishes Hospitality Task Force to Keep Public Fully Informed on Mount Agung

A Bali Tourism Hospitality Task Force has been formed to fill the role of providing accurate and reliably sourced information on developments impacting on tourism as the leading sector of the Balinese economy.

Established initially to meet the pressing need for reliable reports in connection with potential threat posed by the sudden increase in volcanic activity on Mount Agung, the Task Force operates under the auspices of Indonesian Ministry of Tourism with the head of Balis Provincial Tourism Office, AA Yuniartha, serving as ex officio chairman and the head of the Bali Tourism Board, Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana acting as vice chairman.

Ministry of Tourism Establishes Hospitality Task Force to Keep Public Fully Informed on Mount Agung
Image source: Shutterstock

In order to facilitate access on the broadest possible basis among tourism stakeholders, the Bali Task Force members are drawn from all tourism organizations, major government agencies and key players in the Islands robust tourism industry.

The Bali Tourism Hospitality Task Force has been set up to operate with three divisions: a division for institutional partnerships among public and private sector players spearheaded by the Bali Hotel Association (BHA) and the Bali Chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI); a second division providing assistance to travelers led by members of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA); and a Media Center coordinated under the leadership of the Bali Tourism Institute (Sekolah Tinggi Pariwisata).

Ministry of Tourism Establishes Hospitality Task Force to Keep Public Fully Informed on Mount Agung
Image source: Shutterstock

Working to become fully operational by mid-October 2017 including a fully functional web and social media presence, a Media Center is being set up to handle the flood of enquiries from the international media and the public on the latest developments from volcanic Mount Agung.

The formation meeting for the Bali Hospitality Task Force was held on October 3, 2017 at Balis Regional Tourism Office that was opened by Balis Governor Made Mangku Pastika. Pastika called on the task force to spread news on Mt. Agung that is objective and accurate. Guaranteeing that the areas in direct danger of an eruption have been evacuated with evacuees being cared for by the government in temporary camps located at professionally staffed command posts. If, in fact, Mount Agung does erupt in the near term, any damage is expected to be limited to an area within a 12-kilometer radius of Mt. Agungs peak – an area far removed from the major tourism areas in Bali's South some 60 kilometers away. At the same time, officials remain optimistic that any volcanic dust created by a Mt. Agung eruption will have a limited impact on the operation of Bali's Airport, with detailed contingency plans in place in all areas to ensure the safety of all Bali visitors.

The Task Force Media Center is located at the Bali Tourism Board office at Jalan Raya Puputan No.41, Renon in Denpasar Email: BaliTourismBoard@gmail.com and telephone +62-361-235600.