Tourism industry losses due to the pandemic have exceeded Rp 100 trillion (US$7.1 billion), a business association has stated.

Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) data show that the current situation has led to massive layoffs within the industry, with around 550,000 hotel employees, or around 78.5 percent of the total registered workers in the industry, already furloughed or laid off.

In the restaurant industry, around 1 million of the 1.5 million registered restaurant workers have also either been furloughed or laid off since the beginning of the outbreak in Indonesia, the PHRI stated.

"While we haven't updated the [data on] the tourism industry's condition by the third quarter, we can say the revenue loss exceeded Rp 100 trillion at the beginning of November," PHRI chairperson Hariyadi Sukamdani said during an online press conference on Monday. “Tourism businesses are suffering the most during the pandemic even though we implement strict health protocols."

The tourism industry is one of the hardest-hit sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic, as people limit their activities and cancel their vacation plans.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the number of foreign tourist arrivals slumped 70.57 percent year-on-year between January and September to 3.56 million visitors. 

Read also: Tourism Ministry rolls out integrated '3K' system for top 10 destinations

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