Foreign tourist arrival down 5.98%

Foreign tourist arrival down 5.98%

JAKARTA: The number of foreign tourist arrivals in the country's
13 gateways plunged 5.98 percent to 346,209 in September from
368,217 in August, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported
on Monday.

BPS deputy for economic statistics Slamet Mukeno said foreign
tourist arrivals were always low after the July-August peak
season.

However, compared to the same month last year, the 2003
September arrivals were still 8.57 percent lower, which showed
that the tourism industry has not yet fully recovered.

As of September this year, the number foreign tourist arrival
reached 1.66 million which was 18.41 percent lower compared to
the same period last year of some 3.26 million.

Meanwhile, the occupancy rate in star-rated hotels in 10 main
tourist destinations was down to 44.31 percent in August from
46.82 percent in the previous month.

The average length of stay of foreign tourists in August was
2.04 days which was only 0.07 percent higher compared to the July
rate. -- JP