Tourists traveling to Bali and Indonesia in the coming months should ensure they have travel and medical insurance.
While Bali is considered an extremely safe travel destination, recent seismic activity, unseasonable weather, and accidents serve as a timely reminder to take all necessary precautions before enjoying the sunshine.
The General Manager at Bali International Airport, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, has confirmed that all flight schedules are back to normal following major travel disruptions caused by the eruption of Mount Laki Laki on Monday morning.
Shahab told reporters, “Based on the results of monitoring through paper tests conducted from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. WITA at four separate points at Ngurah Rai Airport, no exposure to volcanic ash was found.” In total, 18 flights were impacted on Monday, operating between Bali, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, and China.
Shahab concluded, “We remind prospective passengers to double-check their flight schedules with their respective airlines and to be at the airport 2-3 hours before their scheduled flight.”
It is essential for all tourists to travel to Bali, or to any foreign destination, to ensure that they have fully comprehensive travel insurance that includes cover in the event of natural disasters, travel delays and cancellations, and medical emergencies.
Transportation emergencies should also be covered by insurance policies taken out by Bali tourists, since it is not only flights that are vulnerable to natural disasters, mechanical failures, or weather or seismic activity.
Tourists traveling to Bali are also urged to keep a close eye on the latest news, weather, and wave forecasts as well as updates from natural disaster agencies.
Over the last week, three of Indonesia’s biggest volcanoes have erupted, and while only the eruption from Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki impacted Bali travel, major eruptions from Mount Semeru and Mount Raung in East Java could have easily caused travel disruptions across the country.
High waves have also been recorded around the waters of Bali, and following recent ferry and boat disasters, leaders have even closed crossing routes until the high waves and extreme winds subside. On the evening of Tuesday, 8th July, officials closed the Java-Bali crossing route between Ketapang-Gilimanuk Ports.
Speaking to reporters, Commander of the Gilimanuk Indonesian Navy Post, Lieutenant Bayu Pato, announced, “The crossing was closed for an hour due to bad weather. Strong winds were reported, so crossing operations were temporarily suspended.”
The cautious approach by officials comes just days after dozens of Indonesian nationals died during one of the worst ferry disasters seen in recent years. The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry sank off the coast of East Java just minutes after departure late on Wednesday, 2nd July.
The vessel was carrying at least 53 people. The search mission continues, and initial reports from rescue divers suggest that the ferry has moved at least 800m from the point where it sank, making the work to locate and recover the bodies of the missing even harder.
Tourists traveling in Bali are urged to travel only with reputable fast boats and ferry companies and to check in with the weather and wave forecast from the Bali Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BBMKG) each day of their trip. Updates can be found on the BMKG Bali Instagram account.
Travelers must also be sure to be clear about what medical emergencies are and are not covered by their travel insurance. In many cases, emergency medical cover is included in travel insurance policies, but there are a series of conditions that must be met before payouts will be confirmed.
For example, many travel and medical insurance policies are invalidated in the event that the policyholders want to be intoxicated or were breaking the law at the time of the incident that resulted in the need for medical coverage.
For example, it is an all too common occurrence that insurance providers will not pay out for tourists who have been involved in a motorcycle collision and were not wearing a helmet. Similarly, payouts are rarely issued for incidents where drugs or alcohol were consumed.
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