Tourism industry in Jakarta begins to recover

Ten days after Friday's twin bomb attacks, the Jakarta tourism industry has seen a promising recovery following the increasing number of tourist arrivals and room occupancy rates in five-star hotels in the past week, an official said Monday.

"According to data from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the number of tourist arrivals has been increasing since Tuesday," Arie Budhiman, head of the city's culture and tourism agency told a press conference.

"As of Sunday, the Jakarta International Hotel Association reported that room occupancy in the city's five-star hotels had reached a normal 70 percent again."

The twin bomb attacks, which ripped through the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott hotels in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on July 18 inevitably shocked the city's tourism industry.

Within three days after the blasts, room occupancy rates in the city's five-star hotels dropped from an average of 70 percent to 59.6 percent. Meanwhile, tourist arrivals dropped from 2,680 on July 18 to 1,848 on July 20.

On Saturday, According to Ari, the Soekarno-Hatta airport in Tangerang, Banten, reported 4,255 arrivals in Jakarta. He also said he was upbeat the city's tourism would fully recover soon.

"People know the government, city administration, business associations and police are currently working hard to ensure their safety here." (hwa)