Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – A total of 1,061,530 foreign tourists visited Indonesia during the January-August 2021 period, according to data from the country’s Central Statistics Agency.

"The number of foreign tourist arrivals is still low. The Foreign tourist visits are much influenced by the economic factor, especially in areas that rely on tourism as their driving force," the agency’s head Margo Yuwono said in a virtual statement here on Friday (Oct. 1).

According to him, the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia during January-August 2021 consisted of 79,080 visitors using air transportation, 301,340 by sea, and 681,110 by land.

Meanwhile, the number of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia in August 2021 reached 127,310, or down 21.19 percent compared to August 2020 of 161,550.

A decrease of 6.00 percent is also seen when compared to the number of visits in July 2021.

The number of foreign tourist visits in August 2021 consisted of those who visited the archipelagic country by air of 1,610, by sea of 35,900, and by land as many as 89,800.

Meanwhile, compared to August 2020, the number of foreign tourists visiting by air transportation in August this year decreased by 71.91 percent.

Several airports recorded a decline of up to 100 percent, namely Ngurah Rai in Bali; Sultan Syarif Kasim II in Riau; and Sultan Iskandar Muda in Aceh.

In contrast, Sultan Badaruddin II Airport in South Sumatra province and Lombok International Airport in West Nusa Tenggara province recorded an increase of 3,080 percent (15 to 477 visits) and 1,200 percent (from 2 to 26 visits) respectively.

Reporting by Indonesia Window