Prambanan Temple safe for tourists

Prambanan Temple is free from volcanic ash caused by the ongoing eruptions of Mount Merapi, and is considered safe for tourism, a Prambanan Temple official says.

The temple, located 30-35 kilometers away from Mount Merapi, was apparently outside the eruption danger zone, and unlike Borobudor, was not affected, Prambanan deputy chief Priyo said Monday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Although ash from the volcano covered Yogyakarta, it did not make its way to Prambanan, which is only 15 kilometers southeast of Yogyakarta.

The spread of volcanic ash depended on wind direction, Semarang’s Diponegoro University environmental scientist Sudharto P. Hadi said, as quoted by Tempointeraktif.com.

However, the mass media coverage of the Merapi eruptions has led the public to misjudge Yogyakarta as a dangerous tourist destination at the moment.

Priyo admitted the number of tourists visiting Prambanan had decreased from 2,000 people per day to around 300 due to negative mass media coverage.

As of Monday morning, Yogyakarta’s Adisutjipto Airport was still closed for any flights.

Related: Borobudur Expected To Reopen December