US lifts Indonesia travel warning
CANBERRA – Australia is under pressure to lift its travel warning to Indonesia after the United States cancelled a similar alert.
The US cancelled its travel warning last weekend, saying the security climate no longer warranted it.
The alert had been in place since November 2000, following a series of bombings in Jakarta, and later in Bali.
“The US has lifted the warning due to objective improvements made by Indonesia in its current security situation,” the US Embassy said in a statement.
“Indonesia had not experienced a major terrorist attack since 2005, and the government of Indonesia has disrupted, arrested and prosecuted numerous terrorist elements.”
Australia – which lost 88 citizens in the 2002 Bali bombings – still has a strong travel warning in place for Indonesia, urging citizens to reconsider their need to travel to the country “due to the very high threat of terrorist attack”.
It says the attacks could take place at any time and could be imminent, and urges citizens in the country to “exercise extreme caution”.
A spokesman for Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono hoped the US move would lead other countries to reconsider their warnings.
Australia’s travel warning has long been a bone of contention with Indonesia.
Indonesia has repeatedly raised concerns with Australia that the warning was hurting Indonesia’s struggling tourism industry, and potentially trade.
By The Age
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025