Jakarta. The well-anticipated holidays are a boon to hotels and restaurants as many people go on vacation, according to the industry association.

Sutrisno Iwantono, the head of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), said on Thursday that the occupancy rate within the industry soars as people go on vacation. 

“Holidays bring a positive impact to the tourism sector. People usually go on trips and stay in hotels or dine at restaurants. The same goes for hotels outside Jakarta, as many people leave the city during this time,” Sutrisno told Beritasatu.com on Thursday.

However, the situation in Jakarta differs from that of other regions. Jakarta usually sees great numbers of business and government activities on weekdays, but people usually leave the metropolis.

“Jakarta is unique. We usually receive many guests that are related to work matters because it remains a business and government center,” Sutrisno said.

Even so, Jakarta still sees many visitors whenever the country goes through a period of extended holidays, particularly the schoolchildren and students who wish to visit historic and iconic destinations such as the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) and the resort Ancol. The national monument Monas and the Ragunan Zoo are also popular among visitors.

“We hope more people coming from other regions can visit Jakarta, especially the students. They can visit museums or check out the business centers and the LRT [light rapid transit],” Sutrisno said.

Although having "too many holidays" is great for the hotel industry, Sutrisno admitted that they could affect the non-tourism sectors if people go on vacation for way too long. The tourism sector also needs to work with other industries so everyone can enjoy the benefit of the long weekend, according to Sutrisno.

“Factories can be less productive if we continue to go on holidays, especially since the productivity of Indonesian workers is not increasing, compared to other ASEAN members,” Sutrisno said.

Indonesians get to enjoy 17 national holidays and 10 days of collective leave for workers this year. In comparison, Vietnam only has 13 national holidays. This week, for example, workers had a Vesak holiday on Thursday, followed by collective leave on Friday, and then the weekend before going back to work on Monday.

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