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Although political instability has plagued Indonesia for decades, Bali always has been considered a haven of peace and tranquility. That’s one of the reasons the nightclub bombings in Kuta Beach last weekend seemed especially shocking. The attacks killed nearly 200 people, most of them tourists, and injured more than 300 others. They also dealt a lethal blow to Bali’s tourism industry, which likely will take years to recover.

While Quantas Airlines immediately added extra flights for survivors to get back home, British tour operators canceled tours to Bali, Club Med suspended travel to its Bali Village for a week and offered customers bookings in their other resorts, and the U.S. State Department urged Americans in Bali to leave the island.

So, what does this all mean for travelers? Why was Bali targeted? Should we assume that Bali isn’t safe? Should travelers cancel their trips? And if Bali, of all places, isn’t a safe destination, where is safe? Should we just hole up in our houses, clutching the remote and watch the Travel Channel instead? After all, no one wants to tell vacation stories using phrases like “extremist terrorist event.”

To try to make sense of what has happened in Bali, we talk to Don George, global travel editor at “Lonely Planet.” We also chat with Sean Murphy, owner of Waterways Surf Adventures, who tells us what the attacks might mean for tour operators and the once-thriving Bali surf scene. And, to find out what it was like to be a tourist in Bali at the time of the bombings, Savvy Traveler host Diana Nyad calls a friend who just happened to be vacationing there last week -- a witness to the horror.

Savvy Resources: News Coverage links: http://asia.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2002/bali Bali report on USAtoday.com "Bloodbath in Bali" on ABCnews.com Indonesia issues Anti-Terrorism Decree State Department travel warnings: http://travel.state.gov/warnings_list.html Travel advice from the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Travel advice from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: http://www.dfat.gov.au/travel/ General information about Bali http://www.baliforum.com http://www.balinesia.com http://www.balinetwork.com http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/south_east_asia/bali http://www.wonderfulbali.com