Shanghai tourists to stay in Bali, Phuket

Local tourism authorities said Thursday that more than 500 Shanghai tourists have opted to continue their stays in Bali and Phuket, hours after tsunami warnings were removed from the quake-affected region.

Before the warnings were lifted Thursday, the morning after an 8.5-magnitude earthquake hit hundreds of kilometers from Indonesia's Aceh province on Wednesday, however, one group of Shanghai tourists were unable to return home at the end of their tour. They arrived back at Shanghai Pudong International Airport Thursday, after local airports in the quake-affected region resumed operations.

Local tour companies said that the earthquake, which caused little damage despite its high magnitude, has not, however, scared many Shanghai tourists back from their holidays.

"They were given the choice to a refund, if they wanted to shorten their visits at the two islands," Peng Liang, a press officer for Ctrip.com, one of the largest travel service providers on the Chinese mainland, told the Global Times Thursday. "But, only a few people have inquired about this."

Shanghai tourists in Bali, some 3,000 kilometers from the epicenter, said that they felt no need to return in a hurry.

"It was calm," a Shanghai tourist, surnamed Zhang, told local media Thursday. "We only knew about the quake from the TV."

Two direct flights from Shanghai to Phuket that were canceled Wednesday, meanwhile, were also resumed by China Eastern Airlines Thursday.