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Fashion carnival boosts hotel occupancy in Jember
Almost every year, the hotel occupancy in Jember increases during JFC.
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Illustration of a hotel room. (Shutterstock/File)
T
he five-day Jember Fashion Carnival (JFC) 2017 held in Jember, East Java, in early August is said to give a positive contribution to hospitality industry, especially the hotel sector.
“Almost every year, the hotel occupancy in Jember increases during JFC, which automatically improves the regional economy. Neighboring areas such as Banyuwangi also reaps the benefit since Jember can’t accept all these visitors,” said Jember Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Teguh Suprayitno.
Teguh said the occupancy rate started increasing on the first day of JFC and peaked on Aug. 12 since the grand carnival of JFC was held on Aug. 13.
A total of 2,000 rooms in Jember were fully booked for the event, an increase by up to 600 rooms from 2016.
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“There are a lot of new hotel this year. Last year there were only 1,400 rooms; now there are 2,000 rooms yet it’s still not enough,” Teguh said.
A new hotel named Dafam Lotus Jember that hadn’t had its soft opening yet was also overwhelmed with visitors.
“We haven’t yet had a soft opening but since there’s a high demand throughout JFC we then offer 52 of our 131 rooms on Aug. 9-14,” said the hotel’s sales and MICE manager, Olly Aulia Hasan.
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya previously said that Jember provides a great destination but still lacking in accommodation.
“I once suggested that the locals use this opportunity to rent their room as a homestay for four days, which will provide them with a higher income than to lease it for a month,” said Arief.
He also encouraged Jember to create more attractions, especially since the regency has been named a carnival destination. (kes)
