The Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) of Yogyakarta has informed that hotel bookings for the Eid al-Fitr period in the province have reached around 55 percent.
“There have been reservations received for the early May period during Eid and Eid holidays, reaching around 55 percent,” Chairperson of the Yogyakarta PHRI Deddy Pranowo said here on Thursday.
The hotel reservations have been influenced by the government’s decision to allow people to join the Eid homecoming exodus after a two-year ban due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.
He said that he and all tourism players hope that the government will not revise the regulation because many business players are looking forward to the Eid period to boost their occupancy and turnovers.
“Hopefully, the government’s policy that has allowed the Eid homecoming exodus will not be changed,” he remarked.
He expressed optimism that if there is no change in the policy, hotel reservations in Yogyakarta will continue to increase during the Eid exodus period. The Yogyakarta PHRI is even targeting 80-percent occupancy during the Eid holidays.
“The figure is not as high as before the pandemic. Nevertheless, this is a good start for hotel businesses,” Pranowo said.
He predicted that hotel occupancy in Yogyakarta will start to increase two days after Eid.
“Currently, homecomers have started to arrive and there are also tourists who are on vacation in Yogyakarta,” he said.
The same optimism was also expressed by vendors at Beringharjo Market who projected that the market will be filled with visitors or tourists again if there is no change in the Eid exodus policy.
“Hopefully, we can revive again like before the pandemic. In the last two years, we were concerned because the number of buyers decreased,” head of the West Beringharjo Market Vendors Association, Bintoro, said.
Source: Antara News