Muslims gather for special prayers near the Bajrah Sandhi monument in Denpasar on Bali island on July 28, 2014. PHOTO: AFP
The close proximity of Galungan and Lebaran this year has proved to be a jackpot for hotel owners in Bali.
General managers of several Bali hotels told Tribun Bali that they witnessed a dramatic increase in hotel occupation this long weekend, many reporting a 70 to 90 percent increase.
Arbella Kusuma, the Marketing and Communications Manager of Rama Hotels and Resorts, said that most of their occupants were domestic and Australian tourists. Arabella attributed the increase to the “double decker” promotion that they ran over the Lebaran holiday period.
Best Western Kuta Villa’s General Manager, Wied Paramartha, also told Tribun Bali that the twofold increase in room prices over the weekend hasn’t affected the surge in bookings.
Paramartha concluded, “this shows that you can’t underestimate the buying power of domestic guests, because in this instance it exceeds foreign visitors”.
