Aceh hotel rooms fully booked

BANDA ACEH, Aceh: Demand for hotel rooms in Banda Aceh has been on the rise as people gear up to commemorate the first anniversary of the tsunami disaster in December.

The tsunami swept Aceh coastal areas in December last year, killing some 130,000 people and leaving some 500,000 others homeless. "All hotel rooms have been booked by domestic and foreign guests until December this year," said Dewi, an employee with Hotel Medan in Banda Aceh.

Hotel Medan has 80 rooms of various types with the most expensive room at Rp 500,000 and the cheapest at Rp 175,000. Most of the guests are tourists and journalists.

Fita, an employee with Sultan Hotel, also shared a similar account. "But, we don't any idea what the guests are going to do here," she said. -- Antara