Second bombings could destroy Bali's tourism lifeline

The latest Bali bombings threaten to ruin the island's tourism industry just as it was recovering from terrorist attacks three years ago, with at least one regional government yesterday urging its citizens to stay away and tour operators predicting an immediate drop in visitors.

Powerful blamed on suicide bombers ripped through three crowded Bali restaurants late Saturday, killing at least 25 people and injuring dozens more.

The attacks, focused on popular tourist areas, came almost exactly three years after the Oct. 12, 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians and several other foreigners.

Tourism the mostly Hindu island took a dive after the 2002 attacks and was just beginning to revive when Saturday's bombings ripped another hole in the industry.

Indonesia's Tourism Minister Jero Wacik predicted a sharp drop in visitors, but said he hopes Bali will bounce back.

Australia's Minister John Howard yesterday urged Australians traveling to Indonesia to rethink their plans.

"They should think very hard about going to Bali," he told reporters in Sydney.

He said Australia did not have any specific intelligence that another attack on Bali was imminent, but had for some time warned that attacks were possible in Indonesia, which he said "remains a very dangerous place."

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade renewed its travel warning Sunday, urging Australians -- who flock to nearby Bali by the thousands -- to defer nonessential travel to Indonesia and advising those already in the country to consider leaving.

South Korea's Director-General of consular affairs, Lee Joon-kyu, said the country's travel warning for Bali had remained in place since the 2002 bombings and would not change now.

Cho Hyun-ok, a spokeswoman from Eworld Tour, an agency specializing in Indonesia -- said about 10 percent of reservations were canceled after the latest attacks, and demand for Indonesian trips would remain low for now.

Tour Masabumi Hattori of Tokyo-based Marine Jack, a company offering scuba diving Bali tours, said several travelers due to leave for the island yesterday had canceled their trips.

"I think everybody's waiting to see what happens next. But I do believe people will again avoid Bali as a travel destination," he said.