Bali expects more domestic tourists

The number of domestic tourists visiting Bali is expected to increase during the upcoming school holidays, as the island remains a favored destination for those from other parts of Indonesia.

During the last couple of days, groups of tourists on big buses have started flocking to accommodation facilities in Denpasar, including city hotels on Jl. Teuku Umar, Jl. Diponegoro and Jl. Nangka Selatan.

Head of the city’s Tourism Agency, Putu Budiasa, said that during school holidays, hotel occupancy rates would sharply increase to 75 percent and that even budget hotels were always full. The tourists mostly stay for three days and two nights. “The groups are mostly from schools, but there are families as well.”

Perry Markus, secretary for the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI) in Bali, said that school holidays were one of the busiest times for Bali’s tourist operators. Groups of students usually stay in budget hotels, but there are also many domestic tourists that prefer to stay in star-rated hotels, either individually, as families or in groups.

“For families and individuals, Kuta is still the preferred place to stay, while school groups usually choose budget hotels in Denpasar. The average length of stay is two nights, and average spending is up to US$100,” he said.

He added that Bali remained the main destination for students from many cities in Java, including Jakarta and Yogyakarta. Besides coming to enjoy the island’s nature and culture, they usually visited museums and wrote school reports on the visit.  Their favorite destinations were Kuta beach, Sanur beach, Garuda Wisnu Kencana, Tanah Lot and Bedugul.  They also allocated their time and money to buy souvenirs in traditional markets and souvenir shops.

Head of the provincial tourism agency Ida Bagus Kade Subhiksu said that the school holidays were a peak season for Bali, alongside the Idul Fitri holiday and year-end holiday.

A survey by the Tourism Ministry and Creative Economy showed that the number of domestic tourists coming to Bali last year reached 5,675,121, with an average length of stay of 3.90 days, and average spending of Rp 592,000 (US$63.34) per person per visit.

Their main entrance point to Bali is the Gilimanuk ferry port, since many of them come by car and bus, mostly from big cities across Java. These tourist groups were dominated by students, employees, entrepreneurs and professionals.

Subhisku added that although domestic tourists spent less money than foreigners, they were also profitable for the island’s tourism, considering the number of people and their loyalty. It has been proven in previous years that domestic tourists are not easily affected by bad news about Bali.