Hotel Occupancy Rates Down

Denpasar (Antara Bali) - The occupancy rates of star rated hotels in Bali averaged 57.76 percent in January down 4.77 percentage points from 62.53 percent in December, 2013.

"Despite the decline, the rate was still profitable. An occupancy rate of more than 50 percent would be enough to cover operating cost and salaries of employees," Head of the Bali Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) Panusunan Siregar said here on Wednesday.

Panusunan said in January the number of foreign visitors to Bali rose 19.89 percent to 279,257 from a year earlier, but down 6.61 percent from December, 2013.

He said the highest occupancy rate in January was recorded by star rated hotels in the regency of Tabanan though declining to 71 percent from 73.13 percent a month earlier.

The second highest occupancy rate was 63.11 percent recorded by hotels in in the regency of Badung also declining from 67.65 percent in the previous month, followed by hotels in Gianyar at 53.74 percent down from 59.23 percent.

 In the district of Karangasem the occupancy rates of star rated hotels averaged only 42.89 percent down from 48.86 percent and in the regency of Buleleng the occupancy rates averaged 33.05 percent down from 40.80 percent and in the city of Denpasar it was 44.17 percent down from 44.80 percent.

The districts of Jembrana, Bangli and Klungkung have no star rated hotels.

Based on record at the Bali branch of the Indonesian Association of Hotels and Restaurants (PHRI), Bali has 2,260 star rated hotels and non-star rate hotels with room totaling 56,971 units. (*/M038)