TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hotel entrepreneurs say there has been a decline in hotels' occupancy rates after the Sunda Strait tsunami. Association says that hotel occupancy in Anyer and its surroundings on this year's Christmas and New Year holidays had fallen by some 10 percent. In past year-end holidays, the occupancy rate usually reached 80-90 percent.

The Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI) executive director Ashok Kumar said the decline in occupancy was due to cancellations, delays, and rescheduling of stay dates. This was the effect of the tsunami that crashed Banten on Saturday last week.

He said that at least 20 hotels located on the coast of Carita and Tanjung Lesung were damaged.

"The loss incurred reached Rp5 billion," Ashok said on Tuesday, December 25.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Tourism Scholars Association chairman Azril Azahari said that the Indonesia's tourism is very much affected by the country's disaster.

He said that three countries have provided travel advice, UK, Canada and Australia.

Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya also said that natural disasters were one of the factors that caused this year's foreign tourists target missed. The government had targeted 17 million visits but only 16.2 million were recorded.

"From August, we lost 500,000 foreign visits due to the Lombok earthquake. In addition there have been other factors such as the Lion Air crash, the zero dollar tour, the boat-sink in Lake Toba, and others," he said.

BISNIS