The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Taking a hit from the mudik tradition during the Idul Fitri
holiday, hotels in the country’s large cities are experiencing a
dip in occupancy rates, an association says.
Yanti Sukamdani, Indonesian hotel and restaurant association
(PHRI) head, said that hotel occupancy rates in Jakarta, Medan
and Surabaya — three of the country’s biggest cities — reached
about 40 percent during the break, down from the usual 60
percent.
“There are no business meetings or business conferences at
hotels because most people basically halt their (business)
activities (during the holiday),” Yanti said last weekend,
refering to the annual homecoming of urban residents.
The Jakarta Transportation Agency projected that 2.2 million
people left the city, a slight increase on the 2.09 million
recorded last year.
For some, the impact is even greater.
The Jakarta Sultan hotel, which was until recently the Hilton
hotel, said that of the 1,100 rooms available, only 300 were
filled during the holiday, a drop of 25 percent compared to
normal days.
“Eighty percent of our customers are businesspeople. That’s
why there are so many rooms vacant,” said Sultan public relations
director Emeraldo Parengkuan.
Vacation destinations like Bali are the ones enjoying high
occupancy rates reaching over 70 percent.
Perry Markus of PHRI’s Bali branch said occupancy rates at
hotels in the tourism center of Badung Regency, which covers
Kuta, Legian and Jimbaran, have shot up from 40 percent to 80
percent.
“Sixty percent of our visitors are domestic tourists coming
from other places throughout the country,” Perry said. “We are
optimistic that this is a sign of Bali’s tourism industry
revival” following terrorist bombing attacks.
Yanti said that the association would offer similar incentives
to large cities. In coordination with airlines, hotels and travel
agencies, the association will provide special affordable
packages to visitors staying in hotels in big cities, she said.
The incentive formula has proved successful in the case of the
Shangri-la hotel, which managed to keep its occupancy rates at 70
percent during Idul Fitri by offering special packages.
Gloria Vera, communications coordinator, said that the hotel
was providing packages in rupiah rates to expatriate
businesspeople.
“We also provide facilities to businesspeople who are still
conducting business activities during the holidays,” she said,
adding that the hotel also provided packages for families, as
maids often travel home during the holidays. (09)
