KONTAN.CO.ID - JAKARTA. Tourism Minister Arief Yahya has said some 20 million homebound travelers are estimated to distribute about Rp 200 trillion (US$14.05 billion) around the country when they celebrate Idul Fitri in their hometowns.

“The movement of 20 million people help improve the welfare of people in the regions,” Arief said in a statement on Sunday.

He explained that during Ramadan, the number of domestic tourists decreased by some 50 percent to 10 million people, but during the long Idul Fitri holiday, the number of homebound travelers reached 20 million.

It meant that during the period of Ramadan-Idul Fitri the number of travelers reached some 30 million, Arief said.

“During Lebaran, it is estimated that each person will spend some Rp 800,000. If there are 20 million travelers, they will spend some Rp 200 trillion,” he concluded.

Millions of people have started heading to their hometowns, while the Religious Affairs Ministry is scheduled to hold a meeting on Monday evening to decide when Idul Fitri will fall.

Meanwhile, the country’s second-largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah, has decided that Idul Fitri will fall on Wednesday.

Editor: Wahyu T.Rahmawati