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)