Tourism operators in Bali, still recovering from last October's terrorist attack, are now worried the looming war in Iraq and the outbreak of a deadly Asian illness will keep visitors away, an official said yesterday.
"If war occurs in Iraq, the big question is how will people in Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia react to that. Will there be protests?" said I Gde Pitana, director of the Bali Government Tourism Office.
Bali has showed slight signs of recovery from a devastating terrorist attack in Kuta last October, which killed at least 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.
Tourist arrivals fell dramatically last November following the blast, but began to inch up again in December, Bali's traditional peak season.
Pitana said international tourist arrivals reached about 60,000 in January and were up to 68,000 last month.
Now he is worried both an imminent war on Iraq and the outbreak of severe acute respir-atory syndrome (SARS) in the region will affect arrivals.
"SARS is another negative factor for us," Pitana said, although he pointed out Indonesia still had no reported cases of the mysterious ailment.
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