Jakarta, April 13 -- A 4.6-percent decrease in the number of travelers during the Eid al-Fitr holiday in Indonesia does not necessarily signal a weakening national economy, according to Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi.

"I have a slightly different view. We see that the decrease is only 4.6 percent, and I think it's too early to conclude that this indicates a weakening economy," he said during a media gathering on Saturday.

He noted that a single-digit decline in traveler numbers is not enough to definitively suggest a significant drop in people's purchasing power.

A more in-depth study is needed to determine whether the decrease is truly due to economic factors, or if people simply chose to celebrate Eid in their hometowns,...