"Compared to the 2019 Christmas and 2020 New Year period, there has been an increase of 30 to 40 percent," Yogyakarta PHRI chairperson Deddy Pranowo Eryono said when contacted on Wednesday.
According to him, the average hotel occupancy in Yogyakarta from December 24, 2022, to January 1, 2023, reached 88.9 percent to 90.0 percent.
Star-rated hotels in the central region of Yogyakarta have even recorded up to 100 percent occupancy.
The occupancy rate is different from 2019 or before the pandemic hit Indonesia, when the average occupancy was still in the range of 50 to 60 percent.
"This is beyond our predictions and expectations," he said.
In addition, the length of stay of tourists visiting Yogyakarta has also increased from an average of 2 days to 3 days, he informed.
Though most of the hotel rooms in the central region of Yogyakarta are fully booked until January 1, 2023, Eryono expressed the hope that tourists will not cancel their visit to Yogyakarta because there are still many rooms available, especially at non-star-rated hotels.
"The star-rated hotels in the central region are full. Meanwhile, for the northern, eastern, southern, and western regions, such as in Kulon Progo, they (the rooms) are still available," he said.
In order to meet the needs of hotel visitors, whose number is surging, restaurants that are members of Yogyakarta PHRI are preparing to increase the number of seats as well as their operational hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. previously to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The Yogyakarta PHRI chairperson said that the current uptick in hotel occupancy has occurred because tourist activities were restricted for more than two years due to the pandemic.
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Translator: Luqman Hakim, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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