The Muslim community is preparing to celebrate Eid al-Fitr this month. With the upcoming holiday in 2023, it is predicted that hotel occupancy rates in Bali will increase by 3-5%, while some areas such as Kuta and Nusa Dua could experience a 20% increase.
This was revealed by Bali’s Deputy Governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati, also known as Cok Ace. Despite seeing some improvement in hotel occupancy rates in Bali last year, he noted that the increase was not significant.
“In the past, before the COVID-19 pandemic, during Eid al-Fitr in 2018 and 2019, the increase in occupancy rates in some areas was up to 20%. However, on average in Bali, the increase was only between three to five percent,” Cok Ace said at the Bali Regional Representative Council office on Monday, April 3.
He explained that the level of hotel occupancy depends on the region. Based on last year’s experience, in the Kuta and Nusa Dua areas of Badung Regency, hotel occupancy rates reached an average of 20% during the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
On the other hand, in Ubud, Gianyar Regency, and Candi Dasa, Karangasem Regency, the occupancy rate was around 5% during the holiday.
“During the previous Eid al-Fitr, the increase in occupancy rates in Nusa Dua and Kuta was up to 20% based on regional distribution. In Ubud and Candi Dasa, the increase was only around 5%,” he added.
Cok Ace hopes that domestic tourist visits during the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday will increase. The economy has improved compared to the pandemic period, and they expect higher growth in domestic tourism during this period.
“Hopefully, the domestic economic situation is now better, and we hope that the increase in domestic tourists during Eid al-Fitr will be higher,” he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Head of Distribution and Service Statistics at the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) Pudji Ismartini warned that several commodity prices, such as airplane ticket tariffs and food prices, are expected to increase ahead of Eid al-Fitr in 2023.
“Be aware of the price increases for several commodities, such as air transportation tariffs, beef, broiler chickens, shallots, eggs, and others,” she said in a press conference on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.
According to Pudji, historically, the increase in airplane ticket prices before Eid al-Fitr is due to high demand from passengers who want to return home for the holiday. Meanwhile, the high demand for broiler chickens, eggs, and other food items is due to their use in traditional Eid al-Fitr dishes.
BPS recorded a 0.18% monthly inflation rate in March, and Pudji noted that inflation is expected to slow down during Ramadan due to lower demand compared to pre-pandemic levels.
