DENPASAR ~ Foreign tourist arrivals to Indonesia in the first eight months of 2007 rose 13.5 percent year-on-year to 2.97 million, data from the Central Bureau of Statistics showed this week.

The boost was driven by a resurgence in the popularity of Bali, where arrivals jumped by 34.5 percent year-on-year to 1.13 million in the first eight months of the year.

Indonesia has 14 other international entry points.

In August alone, nationwide foreign tourist arrivals stood at 405,604, down 4.2 percent from July.

August tourist arrivals were 17.3 percent higher than the 345,900 recorded in the same period a year ago.