Foreign tourist arrivals down

Foreign tourist arrivals down

Indonesia recorded a 1.2 percent drop in foreign tourist
arrivals for the first six months of 2002, Central Bureau of
Statistics deputy chairman Slamet Mukeno said Thursday.

Indonesia recorded 2.06 million tourists in the first six
months of 2002 compared to 2.08 million in the first half of
2001, Slamet said.

"The not so conducive situation in the country appears to have
caused the drop in the number of foreign tourists coming to
Indonesia," Mukeno said.

However, tourist arrivals in July rose 3.94 percent to 376,478
compared to the previous month. Mukeno said the July figure was
the highest for the first half of the year.

He said occupancy rate at starred hotels in ten tourist areas
of the country rose to 43.42 percent in May, from 39.75 percent
in the previous month.

Bali, the most popular destination for foreign tourists,
recorded the highest hotel occupancy rate of 52.86 percent in the
month, while South Sulawesi recorded the lowest hotel occupancy
rate of 27.54 percent -- JP