Tourist arrivals in Bali exceed target

Antara News, Monday, December 28, 2009 21:26 WIB

Denpasar (ANTARA News) - The number of tourist arrivals in Bali is likely to hit a record high of 2.1 million in 2009, well above the target of 1.8 million for the year, a tourism official said.

"The number of tourist arrivals in the January-October 2009 period already reached 1.9 million. I predict the figure will increase to 2.1 million by the end of this year," Head of the Bali Tourism Office Ida Bagus Subhiksu said on Monday.

It was very likely the figure could be achieved as the number of tourists visiting Bali showed an upward trend, he said.

The other indicator was the occupancy rate of the province`s hotels which reached an average of 85 percent, he said.

"In fact, a number of hotels in Sanur, Nusa Dua and Kuta areas have been fully booked ahead of the New Year celebration," he said.

Bali is a favorite tourist destination for Australian and Japanese tourists.

Ida Bagus predicted Australia and Japan would remain Bali`s main sources of foreign tourists next year.

"Many Australian and Japanese peoples still do not know Bali and they are looking forward to visiting Bali," he said.

"Especially for the Asean region, Malaysia is a very potential market for Bali`s tourism. The neighboring state now ranks fifth as Bali`s source of foreign tourists," he said.