Jakarta, Jul 2 (IANS): Indonesia recorded 155,610 foreign visitors in May this year, with a year-on-year drop of 3.85 per cent, according to the country's Central Agency of Statistics (BPS).

In a statement on Thursday, the BPS said that 62 per cent of the foreign travellers entered Indonesia by land, 29 per cent by sea and 9 per cent by air, reports Xinhua news agency.

Meanwhile, 51.5 per cent of the arrivals were reportedly from Timor-Leste, 31.5 per cent from Malaysia and 3.3 per cent from China.

During the period from January to May this year, Indonesia recorded 664,550 arrivals of foreign visitors, a 77.62 per cent drop compared to the same period last year.

Head of the BPS Margo Yuwono said at a virtual press conference that the number of foreign visitors since the start of 2021 has been lower than pre-pandemic times due to travel restrictions.

The agency also reported that the nationwide hotel occupancy rate stood at 31.97 per cent in May, a 17.52 per cent increase from 14.45 per cent in the same month last year.

The average duration of stay for these foreign visitors in May was 1.67 days, a decline from 1.86 days in May last year.