SURABAYA - Mulai Oktober hingga Desember nanti, industri pariwisata akan menikmati masa panen (peak season). Momen Lebaran, Natal, dan tahun baru akan mendongkrak jumlah kunjungan wisatawan baik domestik maupun dari mancanegara.
Executive Secretary Association of The Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (Asita) Nanik Sutaningtyas mengatakan, “Jumlah wisatawan diperkirakan meningkat hingga lebih dari 50 persen dibanding pertengahan tahun.”
Sedangkan lonjakan wisatawan asing hanya terjadi di Bali. Peningkatannya diperkirakan sebesar 10-20 persen. Meningkatnya wisatawan asing di Pulau Dewata itu diprediksi akan membawa imbas ke Jatim karena adanya beberapa objek wisata yang saat ini mulai dikenal seperti wisata belanja, kuliner, dan golf.
Meningkatnya jumlah wisatawan, menurut Nanik, akan membawa multiplier -effect terhadap bisnis penunjang wisata lainnya, seperti hotel, travel, penerbangan, transportasi, dan restoran.
Senada dengan Nanik, Ketua Surabaya Tourism Promotion Board (STPB) Yusak Anshori mengatakan, pihaknya optimsitis jumlah wisatawan akan meningkat karena Surabaya semakin dikenal. Menurut data STPB, jumlah wisatawan domestik tahun ini akan meningkat menjadi 4 juta orang dibanding tahun lalu yang hanya 3 juta orang. Sedangkan turis asing akan naik menjadi 800 ribu dari 700 ribu orang tahun lalu. “Pertumbuhannya cukup tinggi,” jelasnya.(ina)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
October 1st, 2007
JAKARTA (AFP) — Indonesian scientists stepped up the alert level for a volcano in East Java and told people to stay away from the crater amid fears it is building up to an eruption.
The alert for Mount Kelut was raised to the third of a four-level warning system, the vulcanology office website said Sunday.
It was based on recordings of increased seismic activity as well as rising temperatures in the crater lake and the shifting chemical composition of the water.
The office advised people to maintain a five-kilometre (three-mile) safety zone around the crater of Mount Kelut, or also known as Mount Kelud, and told residents to be prepared to evacuate at the first sign of any eruption.
The alert status had already been raised one step on September 11.
Although its slopes are sparsely inhabited, the peak is a popular domestic tourist destination and is located on a densely-populated plain.
The 1,731-metre (5,712-foot) volcano last blew in 1990.
It has claimed more than 15,000 lives since 1500, including around 10,000 when it erupted in 1568.
The vulcanology office said that between September 26 and 29, 54 vulcanic earthquakes and nine tectonic temblors had been recorded, and signs were that their epicentre was moving closer to the surface.
The lake on top of the volcano has also changed from its habitual greenish aspect into milky white, and gas is coming out, the office said.
It said the chemical concentrate in the water had risen significantly over the previous months and the temperature of the lake was steadily rising.
Source: http://afp.google.com
October 1st, 2007