TOURIST ARRIVALS IN BALI DOWN 15.57 PCT IN FEBRUARY

Denpasar, Bali, Apr 2 (ANTARA) - The number of foreign tourists visiting Bali fell 15.57 percent to 139,282 in February from 164,962 in January.

"Compared to February 2008, the number of tourist arrivals in February 2009 dropped 9.41 percent due to the current global financial crisis," Head of the Bali Provincial Office of the Central Statistics Board (BPS) Ida Komang Wisnu said here on Thursday.

He said many tourism observers had predicted that the number of tourist arrivals to the resort island this year would not be as bright as the previous years' because of the global crisis.

The global economic downturn would force many people to postpone overseas trips until the global economy recovered from the current crisis, he said.

He said the number of foreign tourists visiting Bali hit a record high of 1,9989,850 last year.

In January and February 2009 alone, the number of foreign tourist arrivals were recorded at 304,244, up 3.47 percent from the same period last year when the figure was 294,032, he said.

Japan took the lead in terms of foreign tourists visiting Bali, followed by Australia, China, Malaysia and South Korea, he said.