Int’l arrivals to Indonesia plunge due to COVID-19
The number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia sharply fell by 64.11 percent year on year to 470,898 in March, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has hindered holidaymakers from traveling, the Indonesian National Agency of Statistics (BPS) announced on May 4.
Passengers are required to pass a thermal scanner as they arrive in Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar, Bali. (Photo: //www.thejakartapost.com/)
Jakarta (VNA) - The number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia sharply fell by64.11 percent year on year to 470,898 in March, as the coronavirus disease(COVID-19) pandemic has hindered holidaymakers from traveling, the IndonesianNational Agency of Statistics (BPS) announced on May 4.
In the first quarter of 2020, international visitors to Indonesia numbered only2.61 million, down 30.62 percent compared to the same period in 2019. In March,the occupancy rate of hotels was only 32.24 percent, down 20.64 percent year onyear and 16.98 percent month on month. The average length of stay was 1.83days, up slightly by 0.02 percent.
According to the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), the country'stourism industry lost at least 1.5 billion USD in the first quarter due to the impactof the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the total, about 1.1billion USD came as a result of cancelations made by tourists from China andthe remaining 400 million USD by visitors from other countries.
PHRI ChairmanHariyadi B. Sukamdani said the local tourism industry is yet to benefit muchfrom a 10.3 trillion Rp (more than 710 million USD) tourism stimulus packagelaunched by the Government in February.
Earlier,on April 16, Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy WishnutamaKusubandio cut the foreign tourist arrivaltarget in 2020 from 16 million to 5 million due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Revenuefrom foreign visitors was also revised down by more than half from the 20billion USD achieved last year./.
Indonesia's economy is likely to begin recovering in the last quarter of 2020 before the growth accelerates in 2021 with an expected expansion of between 4.5 and 5.5 percent, according to Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
The Bank Indonesia (BI) has injected 503.8 trillion Rp (around 32.7 billion USD) into banks and the debt market to stabilise the rupiah and help support the government’s financing needs to combat the economic shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indonesia’s state utility power company PLN said on May 1 that it will offer free electricity over six months for small-scale businesses and producers.
Secretary of the Indonesian Health Ministry's disease control and prevention directorate general Achmad Yurianto reported that his country confirmed 395 new cases of COVID-19 and 19 deaths on May 4, raising its total infections and fatalities to 11,587 and 864 respectively.
The Indonesian government will offer six toll road projects with a combined value of 80.5 trillion Rp (5.3 billion USD) to investors this year, with an aim to recover the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Jakarta Post.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Efforts to empower women must transcend dialogue and translate into concrete commitments, including corporate pledges and government partnerships, according to the spouse of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The forum featured two in-depth discussion sessions, engaging representatives from governments, think tanks, and businesses from both ASEAN and China, on how to forge closer ties for a common future.
The new FIFA Hub in Jakarta will not only support football development in Indonesia but also serve as a coordination centre for 21 football associations across Southeast and East Asia.
Minister Counselor Nguyen Hoang Nguyen reaffirmed Vietnam’s principled and consistent stance on the Palestine issue, calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire across the entire Gaza Strip.
PM Anwar Ibrahim affirmed the determination of Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair for 2025, to utilise all viable regional mechanisms of the bloc and work with partners to de-escalate violence and restore a peace process led by Myanmar.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Vietnam’s Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925–2025), Nikulina, who is also a veteran journalist of Russia’s Sputnik News, emphasised the vital role of mainstream journalism in defending the truth and maintaining public trust.
Passengers are required to pass a thermal scanner as they arrive in Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar, Bali. (Photo: //www.thejakartapost.com/) 
