Indonesia’s foreign tourist arrivals in May grow by 1,382 pct, highest since pandemic

The increase in visits to Bali was mainly due to a number of G20 activities, the world electric single-seater racing championship E-Prix 2022 in Jakarta on June 4, 2022, as well as the addition of visas on arrival.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The Statistics Indonesia (BPS) recorded that foreign tourist visits to Indonesia through the main gates reached 212,330 visits in May 2022.

This figure increased sharply by 1,382.45 percent compared to the number of visits in May 2021.

“This is encouraging. This is the highest since the initial period of the pandemic,” BPS Head Margo Yuwono in a hybrid presentation here on Friday.

Compared to the previous month (month to month), the number of foreign tourist visits in May 2022 also increased by 91.19 percent.

Margo Yuwono explained, the highest number of foreign tourist visits was recorded at Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali, with 115,553 visits, followed by Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang district, Banten province with 57,844 visits, and through Batam city in Riau Islands province with 16,741 visits.

According to him, the increase in visits to Bali was mainly due to a number of G20 activities, the world electric single-seater racing championship E-Prix 2022 in Jakarta on June 4, 2022, as well as the addition of visas on arrival for several countries.

The head of BPS hopes that the trend of the increase in the number of foreign tourists would continue because it provides a large multiplier (double impact) on the national economy. “If foreign tourists continue to increase, it would accelerate the economic recovery in Indonesia,” he said.

Cumulatively, from January to May 2022, the number of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia through the main gates reached 397,770, or an increase of 616.40 percent compared to that in the same period in 2021.

Meanwhile, the room occupancy rate for star classification hotels in the country in May 2022 reached 49.85 percent, or an increase of 17.88 points compared to that in the same month in 2021.

When compared to April 2022, the room occupancy rate in May 2022 also increased by 15.62 points.

According to Margo, the increase in the occupancy rate in May was supported by the national holiday of Eid al-Fitr, Vesak Day, and the Ascension of Jesus Christ. “The relaxation of community activities, such as the use of PCR tests for travels, also increases mobility and affects the occupancy rate,” he added.

Meanwhile, the room occupancy rate for non-star classification hotels in May 2022 was recorded at 24.75 percent, or an increase of 6.69 points compared to that in May last year. When compared to the previous month, the occupancy rate for non-star classification hotels in May 2022 rose 7.35 points.

The average length of stay of foreign and domestic guests at star-class hotels during May 2022 was recorded at 1.58 days, or down 0.09 points compared to May 2021.

When compared to April 2022, the average length of stay of five-star hotel guests during May 2022 also decreased by 0.04 points.

Reporting by Indonesia Window