Tourists stranded in Bali due to volcano eruption given visa extension, free stays

Passengers talk to ground crew as their flights are cancelled at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017. Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency says the airport on the tourist island of Bali is closed for a second day due to the threat from volcanic ash. (Photo by KETUT NATAAN / AP)

BALI, Indonesia — Stranded tourists on this popular island holiday destination who were unable to board their flights due to the eruption of Mount Agung are being taken care of.

The Bali Tourism Hospitality (BTH) said on Tuesday that tourists were being provided with assistance like visa extension, buses from the airport and free stays in hotels.

Mount Agung has been erupting since last week, which forced the closure of the Ngurah Rai International Airport (Denpasar) for a second day on Tuesday.

READ: Volcano gushing ash over Bali closes airport for 2nd day

BTH said that it had prepared small buses that can ferry stranded passengers from the airport back to their hotels.

BTH also said that hotels in Bali were offering free one-night stay for tourists whose flights have been canceled. They can avail of 50 percent discount for the next day if wish to extend their stay.

According to BTH, travel agencies in Bali have also sent their employees to the airport to provide assistance for tourists.

The agency is also advising tourists who are traveling to Bali from Jakarta to go to Surabaya instead and then continue the journey to Bali using a bus.

Meanwhile, the Immigration Office is granting one-month visa extensions to affected international tourists. /atm