Tourist numbers down in April, BPS reports<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
With the advent of the low season, the number of foreign tourists
\narriving through Indonesia's 13 main entry points fell by almost
\n4 percent in April, after rising by more than 11 percent in
\nMarch, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
In its latest statistical survey of the country's tourism
\nsector, the agency reported that 333,694 travellers had visited
\nIndonesia in April, down from the 345,694 visitors recorded the
\nprevious month.<\/p>\n
Given the latest figures, the country's tourism sector will
\nhave a lot of work to do before it can be said that this year has
\nbeen a success, as the cumulative total of foreign tourists up to
\nthe end of April only stands at 1,337,310 visitors, down 1.41
\npercent from the 1,356,382 recorded in the same period last year.<\/p>\n
The tourism ministry had targeted six million visitors from
\nabroad for this year. Last year, 5.3 million foreign tourists
\ntraveled to the archipelago, generating some US$5.3 billion in
\nforeign exchange.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's tourism sector has been in the doldrums since the
\nBali terrorist bombings in 2002, and the bombing of the JW
\nMarriott Hotel and the Australian Embassy in Jakarta in recent
\nyears.<\/p>\n
At the same time, a series of SARS and bird flu epidemics in
\nthe region, as well as the recent Asian tsunami disaster late
\nlast year, only made things worse.<\/p>\n
The problem has been exacerbated by the new visa regime, which
\nrequires tourists from many countries to obtain visas in their
\nhome countries before traveling to Indonesia. The permitted
\nlength of stay in Indonesia has also been reduced.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, tourism associations are still upbeat about
\nIndonesia's tourism potential, saying the sector is on a recovery
\ntrack and that Bali will be able to attract tourists diverting
\nfrom neighboring countries affected by the disaster.<\/p>\n
Indeed, the BPS reported that the resort island of Bali
\ncontinued to be the archipelago's main tourist magnet, recording
\na slight increase in the number of visitors to 122,339 in April
\nfrom 121,457 in March.<\/p>\n
Tourist arrivals in North Sulawesi's Manado are also
\ncontinuing to increase, with a 24.42 percent rise in foreign
\ntourist arrivals in April. The province, popular for offshore
\nsnorkeling at the Bunaken islands, saw 1,353 visitors last month,
\nup from 1,089 people in March.<\/p>\n
All other main destinations in the country, including the
\ncapital Jakarta and the investment island Batam, saw a decline in
\ntheir foreign visitors.<\/p>\n
Similarly, both the average length of stays by foreign
\ntourists and the occupancy rate in star-rated hotels in the
\ncountry recorded declines.<\/p>\n
The average length of stay of foreigner tourists in star-rated
\nhotels in 10 tourist destinations throughout the country dropped
\nto 2.05 days in March, as compared to 1.95 days in the same
\nperiod the previous month.<\/p>\n
The hotel occupancy rate, meanwhile, fell to an average of
\n44.51 percent, from 46.48 percent in February.<\/p>",
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