Tourist arrivals up by 15% during Idul Fitri holidays

Tourist arrivals in Yogyakarta increased by between 10 and 15 percent during the recent Idul Fitri holidays.

Chairman of the Yogyakarta chapter of Indonesian Travel Agents Association (ASITA), Edwin Ismedi Himna, said on Saturday a travel agent served between 110 and 115 tourists during the week-long holiday, up from 100 per week on normal days.

“Some of the agents received orders from 150 tourists,” Edwin told Antara news agency, adding that most of the tourists came from Indonesia.

The travel agents offered holiday packages, including a shopping package on the sultanate city’s prominent thoroughfare Malioboro and a trip to Kaliurang on the foot of Mt. Merapi.

Restaurants and hotels also profited from the Idul Fitri holidays due to increasing demand, which Edwin said reached up to 30 percent. Hotel occupancy rate averaged 80 percent during the week-long holiday, Edwin added.

Tourism industry players, however, complain of peak season air fare rate, which they say is “intolerable”. “We hope the government issue a clear regulation on peak season rate which has allowed airline companies to raise air fare by 300 percent, which is intolerable,” Edwin said.