Jakarta. The number of foreign visitors to Indonesia reached over 10 million as of September, inching closer to the full-year target of 14 million, according to data released by the government on Friday.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported that from January to September, international arrivals rose by 20.28 percent year-on-year, totaling 10.37 million visitors. However, the figure remains below pre-pandemic levels; by the same period in 2019, the country had recorded over 12 million foreign tourist arrivals.

In September alone, Indonesia welcomed 1.28 million foreign tourists, a 19.53 percent increase year-on-year but a 4.5 percent decrease from August.

Neighboring countries Malaysia, Australia, China, and Singapore remain among the largest contributors to Indonesia’s international visitor numbers.

The average spending per foreign tourist was recorded at $1,375 per visit.

"This amount is lower than the previous quarter’s average foreign tourist spending of $1,443," noted BPS Acting Head Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti.

In addition to foreign arrivals, domestic tourism has seen a surge, with 757.96 million trips by local tourists in the nine months leading up to September, marking a 21 percent increase from the same period last year.

The hotel occupancy rate for January through September averaged 51.33 percent, reflecting a significant recovery in the tourism sector from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.