foreign tourists remain keen to visit the cool weathered Karo regency in North sumatra,despite the continued eruption of mount sinabung. Tourist Tan Sin kok of malaysia said that when Mount sinabung started erupting five years ago it was initially deferred home from visiting the region
'Frankly speaking i was afraid to come here. Yet after reading up I come to karo and found out that weather here was still cool and clean,' Tan said on sunday
Tan has been visiting karo alone since Saturday and said he had enjoyed witnessing the eruption with Mount Sinabung spewing pyroclastic flows.
it was the first tim i'd seen a volcano erupting. the scenery was very beautiful. i saw it from the place i'm staying at, taman simalem resort," Tan said.
aother malaysian tourist lee guat chun, ahared the admiration of mount sinabung's beauty both during its normal condition and while it was erupting.
"mount sinabung is a beautiful volcano. whan it stops erupting. i will come back to climb it" he said. meanwhile, singaporean tourist chan mei yin said that she had visited karo several times since Mount Sinabung started erupting. this time, she said, she had brought with her a group of 25 fellow singaporeans.
Touring karo, she said, was fun because the weather was cool and the viwe, including that of Mount sinabung. was beautiful.
the fact that the volcano was erupting, she added, was no impediment.
Mount sinabung's erupion is not dangerous because the volcano is lacated very far away from tourist sights in Karo, She said.
Karo is located 1300 meters above sea level and has a temperature of between 17 and 19 degrees celsius. meanwhile, taman simalem resort general manager eddy tanoto sukardi said that when mount sinabung stared to erupt five years ago, karo's tourism had been hit very hard. many foreign tourists postponed or even cancelled their ttips to karo. yet as time went by, he said, karo's tourism industry had begun to revive, with increased tourist numbers in the area.
eddy expressed his gratitude to all parties, including the media, for their participation in rebuilding tourists' confidence to return to karo. eddy also said that his office had carried out intensive marketing campaigns, especially in malaysia and singapore, to promote karo as a secure tourist destination offering many new destinations, including forests, lakes and organic farming tourism. we have seen a 20 per cent increase in bookings from last month. most of the visiting tourists come from singapore, malaysia and jakata, Eddy said karo tourism agency head dynasti sitepu confirmed the increase in tourist despite mount sinabung's eruptions, marked by the numerous group meetings held in the regency.