Antara News, Monday, December 6, 2010
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Yogyakarta administration and the local travel agents` association are preparing a tourism package offering volcano tours to tourists, an official said.
"We are still discussing the possibility of promoting volcano tours to tourists with the Sleman district administration," chairman of Yogyakarta`s travel agents association Edwin Ismedia Himna said here on Monday.
Edwin said the volcano tours would be included in a tourism package titled "Go Jogja." The package was an effort from both the local government and the travel agents` association to promote Yogyakarta`s tourism after the Mount Merapi eruptions last month.
"Our staff is still evaluating the best and safest stops on the volcano tours in the Pakem, Kaliadem or Cangkringan areas," he said adding that he would start promoting the volcano tour package after the government had lowered Mount Merapi`s danger status to the safe level.
Meanwhile, the secretary to the Directorate General of Marketing at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Winarno Sudjas, expressed his support for the idea of conducting volcano tours in the Mount Merapi area.
He said the tours could become a new attraction for tourists and also help the local government lift up Yogyakarta`s tourism business after the Mount Merapi eruptions.
Earlier, the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) on Friday (Dec 3) morning had lowered Mount Merapi`s danger status` from beware to alert level.
Based on visual observation and monitoring using special instruments, it can be said that Mt Merapi`s activity has dropped, the center`s chief, Surono, said.
However, he asked local people to remain aware of a possible threat from the volcanic activity such as hot clouds and cold volcanic mudflows in several rivers whose upper reaches were located near Mt Merapi`s peak such as the Boyong, Gendol and Kuning.
Surono advised people, especially those living near the rivers, to remain alert toward possible cold volcanic mudflows since Indonesia was still in the rainy season.
"An early warning device has been set up in the rivers to detect mudflow floods," he said adding that some 150 million cubic meters of volcanic materials had recently settled in the Boyong, Gendol and Kuning rivers.
Mt Merapi, the world`s most active volcano, had erupted repeatedly in the past two months but its most fatal eruptions occurred on Oct 26 and Nov 5.
At least 259 people had perished and many others sustained burns and became displaced by the eruptions.
The total number of refugees being sheltered in 639 refugee centers in Yogyakarta and Central Java reportedly reached 367,548.
Related Article:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.