The number of foreign visitors coming to Jakarta increased by 22.26 percent to 191,494 in May this year from 150,407 during the same period last year, according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

Foreign arrivals were still dominated by neighboring country Malaysia with 32,387, and Singapore with 16,558.

"They come to Indonesia mainly for business purposes, not for leisure," said BPS Jakarta’s statistic distribution head, Dody Rudyanto, in a press conference on Monday.

Apart from nearby countries, Jakarta has also proven to be a popular destination among tourists from East Asia, such as China with 19,187 arrivals, Japan with 15,455 arrivals and South Korea with 9,087 arrivals.

The biggest increase, however, was among Saudi Arabian tourists, who accounted for a rise of 34.08 percent, or 6,861 visitors, traveling to Jakarta in May compared with April.