Bali Hotel and Restaurant Association reports over 5,000 tourists have cancelled their bookings in October due to fears over a volcanic eruption. Mount Agung has been racking up to 1,000 tremors a day and has the local volcanologists working day and night to predict if and when it will erupt.

 Bali’s governor is trying to assure people that there is no need for concern and has demanded that foreign nations remove travel warnings about the increased volcanic activity. The travel warnings have contributed to a 20% drop in tourism. Governor Pastika said “I have talked to them, there are five countries that have increased their travel warning”,  “I asked them to lift that warning because it is still safe, they agreed to lift that soon.”

A Mount Agung eruption in 1963 killed over 1,000 people and injured many more. Governor Pastika is confident that won’t be the case this time. “Don’t compare it with the eruption in the year 1963, there was no cars then, there was no communication devices, no electricity, the roads were bad, the Government was unstable” Governor Pastika said. “Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, Tanah Lot are all safe”.