YOGYAKARTA (indo.com): More travellers are starting to come to Yogyakarta following the change in the government under the leadership of Megawati Soekarnoputri, with many of them preferring to visit the surrounding tourism spots by motorbike.

"Since the economic crisis hit Indonesia, with the consequent unstable political condition and security problems, only few tourists have been coming to Yogya in the past few years. However, more travellers, especially from France, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Japan are now starting to come to the city and make use of motorbike rental for their visit," Pahala Sitorus, who runs Pahala Batik and Rental Motorbike Ticket and Travel, told indo.com here recently.

Pahala's motorbike rental is strategically located on Jl. Pasar Kembang, only a few minutes walk from the world-famous Malioboro Road. The rental fee is around Rp 50,000 per day (approx. US$5), and she has six motorbikes available.

"Most customers take a motorbike for about a week in order to visit places such as Yogya Palace, Parangtritis Beach, Prambanan Temple and Borobudur", she explained.

She said that foreign travellers who want to rent the motorbike are only required to submit a copy of their passport or any identity card with a photo. "We trust them - they are always honest and return the motorcycles on time," she said.

Locals, however, are required to submit cash amounting to between Rp 1 million and Rp 1.5 million as a guarantee in addition to a copy of their identity card and photo.