Malaysians Highest Foreign Visitors In Jakarta In March

Ahmad Fuad Yahya JAKARTA, May 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysians made up the highest number of foreign visitors in Jakarta in March but most of them came for shopping instead of for business activities like tourists from other countries. Out of the 172,126 tourists visiting Jakarta in March, 14.61 percent came from Malaysia, 9.84 percent from Japan, 9.8 percent from China, 8.97 percent from Singapore, 4.23 percent from South Korea and 3.89 percent from Australia, English daily The Jakarta Post qouted data from the Jakarta Statistics Agency, Tuesday. During the first three months of the year, the number of foreign visitors increased by 12.37 percent to 494,092 from 439,672 in the same period last year. In March, the number of visitors increased 7.83 percent as compared to February, which saw only 159,598 foreigners visiting Jakarta. Jakarta Tourism Agency head of statistics distribution Dody Rudyanto said foreign tourists stayed in hotels in Jakarta for an average of 1.92 days, which meant that they spent more than two days in the city. He said that most foreign visitors came to Jakarta for business activities. "Foreign tourists usually inundate Jakarta when there are international events being held, such as international conventions and exhibitions," he said. Meanwhile the agency's head, Arief Budiman said besides attending conventions and exhibitions, foreign tourists were also attracted to visit shopping centers, golf courses, heritage spots and other recreational sites. Jakarta's main tourist markets are Southeast Asian countries, China, Japan, South Korea and the Middle East, he said. -- BERNAMA