Bali volcano: Panicking president insists Mount Agung is safe as eruption scares tourists

The country’s president Joko Widodo will chair a cabinet meeting today to assure tourists the danger posed by the mountain is over.

Mount Agung erupted for the first time in half a century last month, spewing a massive ash cloud and destructive cold lava.

Authorities raised the mountain’s alert status to the highest level, imposing an exclusion zone of up to six miles around its crater.

The eruption has hit Bali’s tourist industry hard, with flights to the holiday island reportedly falling by 30 per cent.

But Mr Widodo will later invite tourists to celebrate New Year’s Eve on the island, saying Mount Agung is no longer a threat.

It comes as part of a wider government effort to stave off a major drop off in visitor numbers to Bali.

Before the cabinet meeting, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said: “For those of you who changed your year-end vacation plans due to Mt Agung, I encourage you to come to Bali. 

“I have a guarantee that Bali is safe now.

Energy Minister Ignasius Jonan added: “For those who have plans to vacation in Bali, there’s no need to doubt or be worried about the status of Mount Agung.

“Bali is very safe to visit.”

The island, famous for its beaches and temples, is hugely important for the Indonesian tourist industry. 

Around 4.5 million foreign tourists visited Bali between January and September, nearly half of the 10.5 million arrivals in Indonesia.

The south-east Asian nation is expecting to lose up to £830million in income because of the volcano.

Many business operators and hotels have seen cancellations since authorities first raised the alert in September.

And most expect the festive season to be slower than in previous years.

Thousands of tourists were left stranded last month when the volcanic ash cloud forced the closure of Bali’s airport for several days.