The Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. I Gde Ardhika, stated, at the opening of the Third Congress of the Indonesian Children, that the situation in Bali, following of the terrorist attack of 12 October 2003, is returning to normalcy. Tourists are once again returning in significant numbers to Bali as their choosen tourist destination.

Before the tragedy, which resulted in almost 180 casualties, tourists had been visiting Bali at a rate of approximately 5000 per day. After the attack, the visitors declined to 700-800 people per day. During the holiday season tourist numbers rose again and almost reached the figure of 5000 for the New Year holiday.

Moreover, the Minister explained that no countries had barred their citizens from visiting Bali. While, a few countries had warned to their citizens about traveling, none had in fact forbid them from choosing Bali as their tourist destination.

New York, 30 January 2003