Tourist arrivals fall

JAKARTA (JP): The number of foreign visitors arriving in Indonesia fell slightly in April to 348,067 from 354,239 the previous month due to increasing political uncertainty in the country, according to a report.

A report by the Central Bureau of Statistics said the 1.74 percent decline in tourist arrivals was the result of a reoccurrence of ethnic clashes in several parts of the country and anxiety over the House of Representatives plenary session.

However, compared to the number of tourists visiting the country in April last year, there was an increase of 3.03 percent.

Between January and April 2001, total foreign tourist arrivals increased 2.05 percent to 1.33 million from 1.3 million during the same period last year.

The 13 points of entry to Indonesia are airports in Jakarta, Bali, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, East Java, Central Java, West Nusa Tenggara, North Sulawesi and South Sulawesi; sea ports in Batam, Jakarta and Riau; and a land-border crossing in Entikong, West Kalimantan.

Visitor arrivals fell sharpest in Mataram, where a 44.11 percent decline was recorded, followed by Entikong at 21.67 percent.

Tourist arrivals in April this year at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta suffered an 8.25 percent decline, while those at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali and Hang Nadim International Airport increased 2.62 percent and 2.53 percent, respectively.

The occupancy rate in star-rated hotels in 10 tourist destinations averaged 44.72 percent in March this year compared to 43.49 percent the previous month, the bureau reported.

The highest hotel occupancy rates were in Bali at 57.86 percent and the lowest in South Sulawesi at 27.37 percent. (tnt)