Bali most popular with Japanese tourists

KUTA, Bali: The resort island of Bali was most popular with Japanese tourists in October. A total of 20,062 of the 95,633 foreign tourists who visited here last month were Japanese.

Taiwanese tourists ranked second, numbering 13,463, and Australians third with 13,315 tourists, chief of the immigration office at the Ngurah Rai International Airport, I Gde Widiartha, said on Saturday.

The official also reported that the number of tourists visiting Bali had been on the decline from July to September.

In July, the number of tourists totaled 111,546, increasing to 115,546 tourists in August, and dropping back in September to 106,761.

Local travel agent, IB Surakusuma, however said that the decrease was not unusual.

He explained that the peak season is July to September, as this is the time when tourists from Europe, the United States, Japan and Taiwan, among other places, flock to the island.

"The number of foreign tourists visiting Bali decreases from October to November but rises again in the middle of December until early January, owing to the Christmas and New Year holidays," he added. -- Antara