Jakarta. The number of foreign visitors to Indonesia has experienced a significant increase, quadrupling in the first five months of the year compared to the same period in the previous year.

According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data published on Monday, Indonesia welcomed 4.12 million foreign visitors between January and May, marking a remarkable surge of 312.91 percent year-on-year. This rapid growth indicates a strong recovery for the tourism industry after being heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The number of foreign arrivals during the January-May period accounted for 70 percent of the total arrivals in 2022.

In May alone, Indonesia received 945,590 foreign visitors, representing a 9.21 percent increase compared to the previous month and an impressive surge of 166.42 percent year-on-year.

Among the countries contributing to this growth, Malaysian nationals accounted for the highest number of visits in May, with 169,190 arrivals, constituting a share of 17.9 percent. Australia followed closely with 113,860 visits, and Singapore with 100,730 visits.

The data from BPS also reveals that Russian tourists spent an unusually extended period in Indonesia, averaging 50.51 days during their visits.

Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali remains the primary entry point for foreign visitors, receiving 1.86 million international passengers from January to May. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport follows in second place, with 639,497 international arrivals.