JAKARTA, April 26 (AFP) - The Indonesian resort of Bali recorded a 23.3-percent rise in foreign tourist arrivals in the three months to March, led by visitors from the Asia-Pacific region, a report said Monday.
The head of Bali's tourism office, I Nyoman Sugiri, told Antara news agency that a total of 324,632 foreign tourists arrived in Bali during the first quarter, compared to 262,200 in the same period last year.
He said that the bulk of the foreign tourists, 172,807 or 53.2 percent, came from Asia Pacific countries -- 13.8 percent more that for the same period last year.
Australians accounted for 65,490 of the tourists to arrive in the beach resort in the first quarter this year and Japanese visitors numbered 69,204, Sugiri said.
Americans accounted for 112,768 arrivals or 40.9 percent up from the same period last year while tourists from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations only numbered 5,823.
Indonesia's tourism has been hit hard by communal unrest and violence that has erupted in several parts of the archipelago, but Bali has so far been spared such violence.