The increase occurred due to the easing of travel restrictions by the government, the chair of the East Java PPHI, Mochamad Soleh, said here on Thursday.
“In general, the situation at tourist attractions and accommodations, currently, has improved, though it has not recovered to (the same levels) as before the pandemic. Business actors also hope that the COVID-19 cases will not increase again after the holiday,” he added.
Besides Greater Malang, several other tourist areas such as Bromo, Tretes, and Trawas also experienced an increase in hotel occupancy, reaching 100 percent on average, he informed.
“Surabaya and its surrounding areas recorded that the hotel occupancy on average reached 70 percent during the Eid holiday. However, starting from May 4, it has decreased to 50 percent," he pointed out.
Meanwhile, in Pasuruan and Probolinggo, the occupancy, on average, stood at 60 percent. After the Eid period, it is predicted to decline again to 30 percent.
Soleh appealed to hotel and tourist attraction managements to follow the COVID-19 health procedures, including implementing the concept of halal or Muslim-friendly tourism.
"In general, tourism in East Java has implemented the concept of halal or Muslim friendly by providing worship facilities for Muslims and providing halal food," he said.
According to the East Java office of Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the room occupancy rate at star-rated hotels in East Java reached 46.56 percent on average, or up 1.85 percent compared to early 2022.
Meanwhile, the room occupancy rate at non-star rated hotels in the province stood at 21.86 percent, an increase of 0.63 percent compared to early 2022.
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Translator: A Malik, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
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