JESSICA HURT TRAVEL EDITOR
July 28, 2007 12:00am
BALI is back on the travel radar - but five years after the infamous bombings, the Indonesian island is still struggling to entice the first-time traveller.
And with no non-stop flights from Adelaide to the island, getting there is also proving a problem with people having to fly via other ports such as Perth, Melbourne or Singapore.
While the island is proving popular with tourists from Western Australia, Britain, Germany, Japan and Korea, enticing the South Australian traveller is proving a headache for travel agents.
Paul Young from Travel Scene, Unley, said "people who have always gone there every one or two years generally go back, but new customers seem to be hesitating a bit because of the government warnings".
"I would definitely say we wouldn't be getting any newcomers to Bali," he said.
He said interest in Bali had picked up in the past year, but had not returned to the height of popularity evident in the days before the 2002 bombings.
Darian Foot, manager of Phil Hoffmann Travel, Norwood, said "probably the hardest part is getting there". Adelaide travellers can fly to Bali daily, however the flights are not non-stop.
Singapore Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Qantas and Jetstar International fly to Bali via other ports.
"Out of Perth, Bali is booming," Mr Foot said.
"They have about two to three flights a day.
"Unfortunately, with Garuda Indonesia no longer flying from Adelaide and (the demise of) Air Paradise, it is making it a little more difficult to get there.
"The past four or five years have been pretty tough for Bali, but security levels over there are second to none. It is certainly a destination Australians have loved for years."
Mr Foot said there had been an increase in the number of inquiries from Adelaide passengers.
"It has started to pick up," he said. "When the cold weather hits, people think of warmer destinations."
Psychologist Dr Darryl Cross said he wasn't surprised people were still staying away from Bali.
"The bombings was one which was really close to home for us," he said.
"It was a bit too close to home both literally and metaphorically." Dr Cross said these days travellers were spoilt for choice when it came to cheap beach holiday destinations