RUSSIAN TOURISTS TO BALI UP 2.51 PCT

Denpasar, Mar 11 (ANTARA) - The number of Russian tourists visiting Bali in January 2010 reached 9,124, up by 2.51 percent compared to 8,901 in last year's same period.

Russia is one of the 10 countries with the highest number of tourists to Bali, Head of the Bali Central Bureau of Statistics Ida Komang Wisnu said here Thursday.

He added that Russia is the sixth of the 10 countries with the highest number of tourists to Bali after Australia, Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea.

Earlier, Russia was not among the big ten, but only after setting aside Germany did it joined the big ten.

Ida Komang Wisnu added that Bali has professional tourist guides with 99 of them speak Russian.

Russians contributed 5.09 percent of the total number of 179,273 foreign tourists to Bali in January 2010, up by 2.71 percent compared to those in last year's same period.

Ida Komang Wisnu said of the ten countries, four had the number of their tourists increased significantly, and six underwent a decline.

the four countries, besides Russia, are Australia by 60 percent, South Korea 26.49 percent, and Holland 40.10 percent.

The six countries whose number of tourists to Bali had been declining are Japan by 23.86 percent, China 31.44 percent, Taiwan 8,55 percent, Malaysia 28 percent, France 6.17 percent, and the United States 8.36 percent, he said.