Hotels and villas fully booked for Idul Fitri holidays27 September 2009, 21:43:46 - (370 hits) Star hotels and luxury villas are likely to gain profits from the Idul Fitri long weekend as occupancy rates reach more than 90 percent, a hotel executive confirmed. Djinaldi Gosana, executive director of the Bali Hotel Association (BHA), which overviews 100 members of four and five-star hotels in Bali, said that most clientele would check in this weekend (Sept.18) and spend the rest of the long holidays on the island.
"Most hotels especially those located in Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Nusa Dua and Jimbaran resorts are already fully booked," Gosana said.
Bali had just finished a robust holiday season, including national school holidays and summer holidays, which started ran from June to August.
Despite terrorist attacks in Jakarta's J.W. Marriot and Ritz-Carlton hotels last July, Bali's tourism industry has remained strong. From January to June this year, more than 1 million foreign tourists spent their holidays on the island.
Aloysius Purwa, chairman of the Association of Travel Agencies (ASITA), said that Bali would again host visitors, mostly domestic guests, during the Idul Fitri holidays.
"Domestic tourists have always played a very important role in moving the island's economic wheels," Purwa said.
Terrorist attacks in Bali in October 2001 and October 2005 caused Bali's tourism industry to sink to its lowest levels.
Occupancy rates at star hotels during that time reached no more than 20 percent. Foreign tourist arrivals also dropped significantly.
"It was domestic visitors that saved Bali's tourism industry. Therefore, I am very optimistic the tourist-related industry is still strong," Purwa added.
Purwa went further saying the majority of ASITA's members had already received bulk orders months before the Idul Fitri holidays.
"Many of these clients secured their booking payments, a sign of positive business growth," he noted.
He also said that most travel agencies had paid their bookings in hotels, airlines and other facilities. "This means that all industries are profiting from the high season," Purwa added.
Hadi Sutrisno from Dwidaya Tours also said that visitors had booked non-star hotels.
"It would be quite difficult for people to book airlines tickets and hotels in Bali because most travel agencies already received orders a few months before Idul Fitri," he said.
Last year, Idul Fitri fell on the same month as Chinese Independence Day. Thousands of Chinese tourists traveled to Bali last year.
Bali is also a major tourist destination for holidaymakers from China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
Sutrisno said guests would stay on the island for four to five days.
"Many of them spend their holidays with family members. Each family spends at least Rp 500,000 a day," he explained.
Sutrisno also said that non-star hotels had already received orders from groups, especially from Java.
Meanwhile, M.Dimyati, spokesperson of Ngurah Rai International Airport, said there would be a 10 to 15 percent increase in flight services a week before the holidays. The airport usually operates 30 flights carrying around 8,000 passengers every day.
"But, three days before and after Idul Fitri, there will be sharp increase in the number of extra flights," he said.
Last year, Ngurah Rai airport served 108 flights a day during Idul Fitri holidays. News from thejakartapost.com.
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