A`LIAN TOURIST ARRIVAL NUMBER IN BALI IN JANUARY UP

Denpasar, Indonesia, March 3 (ANTARA) - The number of Australian tourist arrivals in Bali was 27,961 in January 2009, up by 6.25 percent or 1,646 from 26,315 in December 2008, a local statistical official said.
"Despite a prediction that 2009 will not be as good as 2008 for Bali's tourism industry, Australian tourists continue to consider Bali as their 'second home'," Ida Komang, head of the Bali provincial Bureau of Statistics, said here on Tuesday.
Australia is among the top 10 countries where foreign visitors in Bali come from, he said.
Improved security conditions on the island and intensified bilateral relations between Australia and Indonesia led to a continuous increase in the number of Australian tourist arrivals in Indonesia's most famous resort island, he added.
"Australia was on top of the list in January this year as well as in December 2008, followed by Japan , China, Taiwan and Malaysia," Komang, said.
A total of 164,962 foreign tourists visited Bali in January 2009, up 17.60 percent or 29,033 from 135,929 a year earlier.
The number of foreign visitors in Indonesia in 2008 reached 6.4 million while the target figure for 2009 is 6.75 million.***