Agencies report no increase in travel

Agencies report no increase in travel

JAKARTA (JP): The uncertain political situation in the capital
used to be a blessing in disguise for travel agencies, airline
companies and hotels, as many people rushed to find a "safer
place".

But things no longer seem to be that way. Even though the
political situation has heated up recently, there has been no
sign of an exodus.

Sales and marketing manager of Panorama Tours Tom M.C. Ifle
said there had been no increase in the number of travelers who
had contacted them over the past few days.

"On the contrary, it (the total) decreased in the past couple
of days," he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Petty, a ticketing agent at Iwata Nusantara Tours and Travel,
said that very few foreigners had booked tickets on Monday.

"In the past years, foreigners usually rushed to buy tickets
if the situation heated up. But now, most of them already have
standby tickets," she said.

Airline companies did not see any extraordinary change in the
number of passengers.

"It's normal, and there's been no significant increase or
decrease," Edy Suwarsono, the head of reservations at Garuda
Indonesian Airways, told the Post.

A similar situation was found in most hotels all over the
capital. When contacted, several hotels, such as Hotel Aryaduta,
Mercure Slipi, Santika and Horizon, said that their occupancy
rates were normal. (hdn)