Content area
Full text
Forest fires are a perennial problem in Indonesia, but never have they-and the associated smoky haze they generateso heavily affected the country's tourism and hotel industries.
The industry bemoaned issuance of travel advisories by countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Singapore, which recommended not traveling to Indonesia at all.
"They aren't advising travelers that the haze problem is limited to specific areas," said Herman Rukmanadi of Bahra Travel's.
"We, here, can clearly see that there's no problem in Bali, Lombok, Flores and other islands," said Ng Sebastian, Ramanyana Satrya International Tours branch manager. "In Europe, they don't know that. They think the whole country is covered in smoke."
Part of the problem is the world perception, or lack thereof, of Indonesia. Bali, as the country's No. 1 tourist destination, may be recognized, but it often is either not associated with Indonesia or confused as being Indonesia. Thus, world media reports incorrectly included Bali in the haze-covered region when haze only affects three of the country's 17,508 islandsSumatra, Kalimantan and Java.
Media reports, especially haze maps, consistently showed Bali and...