Reports from Bali indicate thousands of tourists from disaster-hit Japan have cancelled trips to the island, costing local hotels almost US$1.2 million) in losses, the Association of Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants says. 


“The tourists had earlier booked 1,308 rooms at 45 three-to-five-star hotels in Kuta, Nusa Dua, Tuban, and Sanur,†according to the association’s Bali chapter secretary, Perry Markus, quoted by local media.
The chairman of the Bali chapter of the Association of Indonesia Tours and Travel, Aloysius Purwa, said he expects the number of Japanese visitors to Bali this year to drop by 30 percent to 150,000 compared to last year.

“The potential losses could reach about US$400 million,†he said.


The number of Japanese tourists visiting Bali has been declining over the past few years.
Last year the total number of Japanese tourists who came to Bali was 245,000, compared to 334,000 in 2009 and 360,000 in 2008.
