REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Chinese nationals have topped the list of foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia in Feb, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS).

The number of Chinese tourists arriving in Indonesia in Feb was recorded at 194,365, contributing to 21.31 percent of the total arrivals in that month.

BPS Head Suhariyanto stated that the increasing number of Chinese tourists arriving in Indonesia was attributed to the opening of a direct flight from Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado of North Sulawesi to eight cities in China.

"There many Chinese tourists arriving at Sam Ratulangi Airport, because direct flights have been opened to a number of Chinese cities, making them easy to visit Indonesia," Suhariyanto noted after holding a press conference at the BPS building here on Monday.