Palembang, South Sumatra (ANTARA News) - South Sumatra received 521 foreign tourists via Sultan Mahmud Badarudin II airport in May 2011, up 1.56 percent from the previous month.

The figure also showed a 330.58 percent increase from 121 foreign tourists visiting the province in May 2010, Haslani Haris, the head of the South Sumatra Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) said here recently.

He was optimistic that the province could attract more foreign tourists given the fact that the number of foreign tourist arrivals in the province had increased over the past several months.

Most of the foreign tourists were from Malaysia (301 people), followed by Singapore (62), the United States of America (14), and England (8 people).

The number of tourists from China significantly decreased from 41 people in April 2011, to five in May 2011.

The hotel occupancy rate in the province in May 2011 reached an average of 55.80 percent.

The stay duration of foreigners in star-rated hotels in the province also rose from an average of 0.11 day in April 2011 to 1.62 day in May 2011.

South Sumatra will host the 26th South East Asia (SEA) Games from November 11 to 22, 2011.

The province hopes to receive many foreigners including participants of the SEA Games in November.

South Sumatra has a number of interesting tourism objects such as Musi River, the longest river on Sumatra Island, Kemaro Island which is located in the middle of the Musi River, Mount Dempo and tea plantations in Pagaralam. (Uu.F001/HAJM)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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