ARRIVALS OF RUSSIAN TOURISTS IN BALI UP 6.3 PCT

Denpasar, Bali, May 26 (ANTARA) - The number of Russian tourists arriving in Bali in the January - March 2009 period increased 6.3 percent to 20,403 from 19,189 in the corresponding period a year earlier, an official said.

"All the Russian tourists arrived in Bali through Ngurah Rai international airport," Chief of the Central Board of Statistics (BPS) for Bali office, Ida Komang Wisnu, said here on Monday.

He said that the number of Russian tourists to Bali contributed 4.1 percent of the total foreign tourists visiting the Indonesian tourist resort province which stood at 490,454 in the first quarter of the year.

The total number of foreign tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2009 showed an increase of 4.2 percent if compared with the same period in 2008 which were 470,344 persons.

Russia is ranked seventh in the list of major foreign tourist contributors to the Indonesian tourist resort island. This country has never before been included in big ten of tourist contributors to Bali.

Ida Komang Wisnu said that of the big ten tourist contributors five countries, including Russia, showed an increase in their tourist contribution and five others showed a decline.

Besides Russia, four other countries whose tourists coming to Bali were increasing were Australia with a 24.85 increase, China with 55.62 percent, Malaysia with 19.85 percent and France with 19.02 percent.

In the meantime, the five countries which saw a decline in their tourist arrivals contribution to Bali were Taiwan (24.01 percent), Japan (11.63 percent), South Korea (8.82 percent), Britain (16.04 percent) and the United States (7.05 per cent).

It was reported earlier that the number of Taiwanese tourists visiting Bali in the January-March 2009 period fell 24.01 percent to 28,066 from the same period a year earlier.

"Taiwanese tourists accounted for 5.72 percent of the total tourist arrivals in Bali in the first quarter of 2009 which reached 490,454," Ida Komang Wisnu said.