BPS Records 2,166 Tourists Traveling To Aceh In June 2023

The Photo Archives - A number of tourists carried out Dolpin Trip tour packages when they traveled to Iboih, Sabang City, Aceh, Thursday (15/6/2023). (ANTARA/Khalis Surry)

BANDA ACEH - Aceh's Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded 2,166 foreign tourists (tourists) traveling to Aceh province during June 2023.

The most dominant (tourists) to Banda Aceh and Sabang. Most of the tourists are from Malaysia, because of Islamic and close tourism (between Aceh and Malaysia)," said Head of BPS Aceh Ahmadriswan Nasution in Banda Aceh as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, August 1.

He explained that of the 2,166 foreign tourists visiting Aceh in June 2023, 1,701 of them were tourists from Malaysia, the rest were Singaporean citizens, Australia, the United States and several countries in Asia, America, Europe and other areas.

Nevertheless, said Ahmadriswan, foreign tourist visits to the area nicknamed the Veranda of Mecca in June 2023 decreased compared to the previous month.

"This figure has decreased compared to May 2023 which reached 2,867 people. This needs to get the attention of all of us, how in the future developments will be better," he said.

BPS noted that in January 2023, the total number of foreign tourists visiting Aceh reached 2,257 people, in February as many as 2,034 people, March as many as 1,903 people, April as many as 1,349 people, May as many as 2,867 people and in June as many as 2,166 people.

So that the total number of foreign tourists visiting Aceh from January to June 2023 reached 12,576 people.

The increase in foreign tourist visits to Aceh occurred after the Indonesian government opened a direct international flight route to and from Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport (SIM) Aceh Besar, starting October 2022.

On the other hand, BPS also recorded that in June 2023 there were 14,839 international flight passengers in Aceh. This figure has decreased compared to May 2023 as many as 17,542 people.

As for domestic flights, BPS said as many as 52,904 people. This figure increased compared to the previous month's 51,929 people.

"So as mobility increases, it is reflected in the increasing number of passengers," said Ahmadriswan.