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rovincial hotel operators Dafam, Kagum and Zuri Hotels Management say that they will open 27 new hotels this year.

The developments, which run from budget hotels to upscale accommodations, will be located in 10 cities, including second-tier cities such as Luwuk, Central Sulawesi.

A representative of Dafam Hotel Management, which is based in Central Java, said that the firm plans to operate four new hotels in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan; Bekasi and Subang, West Java; and Yogyakarta this year.

“We see an increasing demand for accommodations because people travel more nowadays,” managing director Andhy Irawan told The Jakarta Post on Friday. “We are trying to market new destinations to tourists through our hotels, such as the one in Subang.”

Andhy said that Subang was an attractive investment destination with a huge potential for nature and heritage tourism. The region is home to the famous Ciater hot springs.

Dafam has opened eight hotels in the last two years, including two-star diamond Vio Hotels and Marlin Hotels, three-star Dafam Hotels and four-star Grand Dafam Hotels.

The hotels, which boast an average occupancy rate of 78 percent, are located on Java in cities including Bandung, West Java; Cilacap, Pekalongan and Semarang, Central Java; and Yogyakarta.

The firm plans to open a five-star hotel under its Royal Dafam brand and a luxury villa in Bali under the Avani Resort and Spa brand in 2014.

Meanwhile, Bandung-based operator Kagum Hotel Management said it would open 18 new hotels in major cities such as Jakarta, Semarang and Makassar.

“We will also expand our hotels to Bontang [East Kalimantan] to cater to the market from the oil and mining gas sector, communications director Evaldo Desfarillo said. “We launched the Oak Tree Hotel Bontang on Feb. 14.

Pekanbaru-based operator Zuri Hotel Management said it was set to open five new properties ranging from budget to upscale accommodations under its Grand Zuri, Zuri Express and The Premiere brands.

Sales director Handik Widodo said that the new hotels would be opened in Jakarta; Kuta in Bali; Muara Enim and Palembang, South Sumatra; and Yogyakarta.

“We decided to enter Jakarta because it is the country’s capital city and as a step toward becoming a big national chain in the future,” Handik told the Post, adding that the firm’s head office would be moved to the Zuri Express Mangga Dua Hotel later this year.

The firm expects to open the first new hotel, the Grand Zuri Yogyakarta, in May. Zuri Hotel Management currently operates 13 hotels in second-tier cities and suburbs with a 75 percent average occupancy rate.