Domestic Tourists Become Locomotive

Amid the pandemic, tourism has begun to flourish. The traveling activity is supported by domestic tourists, as well as the trending preference for nearby destinations and private lodgings.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Children playing in the courtyard of the Pancasila Fire Monument at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta, Thursday (29/10/2020). Some residents of Jakarta and its surroundings still choose to visit tourist objects in the Jakarta area to take advantage of the long holiday moments on leave together.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS -- Tourism is predicted to keep growing in the fourth quarter of 2020, even though the Covid-19 pandemic is not over yet. Domestic tourists have become the locomotive of tourism.

Tiket.com co-founder and chief marketing officer Mikhael Gaery Undarsa said that since the relaxation of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), tourism has started to flourish. The preference for staycations has increased hotel occupancy in the country.

The increase in tourist visits, among others, occurred during the long holiday period. Domestic destinations became the prima donna, and domestic tourists started to look for attractive destinations in Indonesia. "We estimate that the fourth quarter of 2020 will be the starting point for the revival of tourism. There will be many domestic destinations on the rise," he said in a press teleconference in Jakarta, on Monday (2/11/2020).

Also read: Anticipating an Increase in Covid-19 Cases

Tiket.com noted that the increase in flight ticket sales in the third quarter of 2020 was 240 percent when compared to the previous quarter. Hotel reservations also increased by 250 percent compared to the previous quarter.

Significant growth has taken place in the accommodation business. In the midst of the pandemic, there is a trend where visitors looking for private stays, such as villas and alternative lodgings in certain locations. Tourists tend to avoid crowds so private accommodation is offered.

We estimate that the fourth quarter of 2020 will be the starting point for the revival of tourism.

"Domestic destinations that have recovered earlier, among others, are those that can be reached by land route. Meanwhile, some destinations will still grow slowly, especially those with relatively remote locations and need air transport to access,” said Gaery.

KOMPAS/NINO CITRA ANUGRAHANTO

Visitors tour the Malioboro Area, Yogyakarta, Saturday (31/10/2020). Many visitors are reluctant to wear masks. Every day, on average there are 300 tourists who violate health protocols because they don\'t wear masks.

Take time

Statistics Indonesia (BPS) head Suhariyanto said along with the government’s decision to ease large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) many domestic tourists took vacation and traveled by implementing health protocols. However, the number of foreign tourists to the country is still very minimal, so tourism recovery still takes time.

Based on BPS data, the number of foreign tourists in September 2020 was only 153,500 people. It was a decrease compared to August 2020, which stood at 165,000 people. The annual growth of foreign tourist visits to the country was minus 88.96 percent. The visits of foreign tourists were dominated by tourists from Timor Leste (50 percent), Malaysia (35.3 percent) and China (4.6 percent).

Also read: Travelers Test Positive for Covid-19

Foreign tourist visits in September 2020, among others, were for business and work purposes. There was no tourist visit for leisure purposes. Cumulatively, the total number of foreign tourists during January-September 2020 was 3.56 million people. The growth is minus 70.57 percent compared to the same period last year which reached 12.1 million people.

"This [decrease] can be understood because the Covid-19 pandemic is still ongoing, and many countries have prohibited citizens from traveling," he said.

HUMAS BANDARA JUANDA I

A number of passengers queue at the ticket check counter at Juanda Airport, Sidoarjo, East Java, Wednesday (28/10/2020). The number of passengers jumped during the long holiday at the end of October.

Meanwhile, the (hotel) room occupancy rate during September 2020 was 32.12 percent, down 0.81 percent compared to the previous month and contracting 21.40 percent on an annual basis. The lowest room occupancy rates, among others, were in Bali, Riau Islands and Aceh.

The highest room occupancy rates are in East Kalimantan and Lampung. The occupancy of the rooms comes from domestic and foreign tourists. "The steep fall in the number of foreign tourist visits indicates that recovery in the tourism sector will still take a long time," said Suhariyanto.

Flight

The long holiday at the end of October 2020 also drove the aviation market. This condition occurred in the midst of the efforts to boost public confidence in the implementation of health protocols in the air transport sector.

State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II) president director Muhammad Awaluddin, on Monday, said that the combination of public confidence in health protocols and the long holiday had stimulated flights in October 2020. The number of passengers at 19 airports managed by AP II on 1-31 October 2020 stood at 2.14 million people, an increase of 19 percent compared to September 2020, which was 1.79 million people.

Also read: Tips for the Long Holiday: Covid-19 Spokeswoman Dr. Reisa

Aircraft movement has also increased by 10 percent, from 23,879 flights in September 2020 to 26,304 flights in October 2020. During the long holiday period, from 28 October to 1 November 2020, the number of aircraft passengers was 455,068, an increase of 17 percent compared to that in the period of 21-25 October 2020. The number of flights has increased 10 percent to 4,460 flights.