Indonesia's tourism revenue drops sharply in May

By：Xinhua Update：2020-07-27

JAKARTA, July Indonesia's annualized revenue from the tourism sector plummeted by 97 percent to 31 million U.S. dollars in May due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said on Wednesday.

Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said over 2,000 hotels were forced to halt operations as the pandemic has made the number of foreign tourist arrivals plunge by over 87 percent in May.

More than 180,000 workers were impacted by the situation, he said.

However, as the country has gradually reopened tourist destinations, the minister hoped the number of domestic travelers would drift up by 70 percent in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Minister for Tourism and Creative Economy Wishnutama Kusubandio was optimistic that the tourism activities would get back to normal when a COVID-19 vaccine is ready.

The government has resumed operations of tourist destinations across the country under tight health protocols, aiming at restoring the tourism sector. Enditem