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Bali welcomes more South Korean tourists in 2017
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South Korea was number nine out of the top 10 countries visiting Bali, after China, Australia, India, Japan, England, the United States, France and Germany. (Shutterstock/File)
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ndonesia's resort island of Bali has welcomed an increased number of South Korean tourists, recording 168,181 visitors throughout January until November 2017, or approximately 23 percent higher than the previous year.
"They mostly come through Ngurah Rai International Airport by boarding a plane that flies directly from [South Korea], and only 11 passed through the seaport by boarding a cruise ship," Adi Nugroho said in Denpasar on Thursday, as quoted by Antara news agency.
Adi said South Koreans visit Bali to enjoy the natural scenery and the uniqueness of local cultural arts, and they made up 3 percent of the 5.38 million foreign tourists in Bali from January to November 2017.
The total number of foreign tourists to the island had increased by approximately 20 percent compared to 2016.
Read also: Increase in French tourists in Bali in 2017
Adi said South Korea was number nine out of the top 10 countries visiting Bali, after China, Australia, India, Japan, England, the United States, France and Germany.
From the 10 countries, two experienced a decreased number of visitors, namely Australia, which saw a fall of 3.02 percent and Malaysia by 2.66 percent.
The rest of the countries saw a rise in numbers, with the highest increases seen from China, which sent over 51 percent more tourists than the previous year, followed by India with approximately 48 percent more people visiting Bali.
Meanwhile, Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika welcomed South Korean tourism delegates on Sunday, which consisted of models, singers, vloggers, as well as film actors and journalists for a dinner at his official residence.
Their visit to Bali, which extended until Thursday, had been facilitated by the Bali Tourism Community Alliance (AMPB) in the hopes that it would help the recovery of tourism to the island amid conditions related to the Mount Agung eruption.
The governor hopes that the delegates would help spread the information that Bali is safe to visit, noting that the arrival of the young stars to the island would be effective, as they have influence in their country, Made said. (liz/asw)
