RRI.CO.ID, Banda Aceh - Aceh's hospitality sector is signaling a robust month-on-month recovery, with hotel occupancy rates experiencing a steady upward trajectory even as the province navigates broader fluctuations in direct international tourist arrivals.

Data released by Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) Aceh office reveals a promising trend for the local accommodation sector in May 2026.

The star-rated hotel occupancy rate (TPK) climbed to 27.03 percent, marking a 2.68 percentage point expansion compared to April 2026. When measured against the same period last year, the metric demonstrates a resilient annual growth of 2.90 percentage points.

A similar positive momentum was observed in the non-star-rated hotel segment. Occupancy rates for budget and boutique accommodations reached 19.94 percent in May, gaining 0.50 percentage points month-on-month and improving by 1.47 percentage points year-on-year.

This strengthening of local hotel occupancy coincides with a modest short-term uptick in international travelers. BPS logged 3,148 foreign tourist arrivals to the westernmost province in May 2026, representing a 2.21 percent growth from the preceding month.

However, the figure indicates that broader international demand has yet to fully catch up with previous highs, contracting by 21.67 percent compared to the same month last year.

Acting Head of the Aceh Province BPS, Abdul Hakim, said that monitoring of foreign tourist visits was carried out through two main entry points, namely Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport and Balohan International Port in Sabang.

"In addition to the development in the number of tourist visits, BPS also released other tourism indicators, namely the Room Occupancy Rate (TPK) of starred and non-starred hotels in Aceh," Abdul said in his statement, Thursday, July 2, 2026, as quoted by Infopublik.id.

The latest indicators underscore that while monthly data reflects an encouraging rebound in occupancy and general visitor activity, regional tourism stakeholders still face the challenge of bridging the annual deficit in international arrivals. Sustained efforts to amplify the province's unique cultural appeal and strengthen targeted destination marketing remain vital to anchoring long-term, stable tourism growth across the region. ***