More Australians, less Japanese tourists in Bali

Bali saw a big increase in the number of Australian and Singaporean tourists visiting the island this year compared to the previous year. However, the number of Japanese tourists dropped significantly.

Data at the provincial Tourism Agency showed that the number of Australian tourists who visited Bali from January to November this year stood at 720,200, an increase of 23 percent on the figure in the same period last year, which was 585,100. The number of Singaporean tourists increased by 19 percent from 80,000 to 95,200 antaranews.com reported on Friday.

On the other hand, the number of Japanese tourists dropped by more than 26 percent from 230,300 to 169,500.

The total number of foreigners visiting Bali from January to November this year had reached more than 2.5 million, increasing 10.2 percent compared to the same period last year.

The figure almost reached the 2011 target, which was set at 2.6 million, said Dewa Nyoman Putraman, a tourism observer. He added that Bali would surely reach the target considering that December was a peak season.