Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and the Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, is focusing on facilitating direct flights from China, India, and Russia.
The Deputy Governor of Bali, Cok Ace, is urging more direct flights from China to Bali to achieve targeted tourist arrivals of 3.4 – 7.5 travelers.
As reported by Beritabali.com, on 22 January, the first post-pandemic group of Mainland Chinese Travelers arrived in Bali on Lion Air, signaling the official return of PRC travelers.
Tourism Minister Sandiaga said he is in communication with the Ministry of Transportation regarding directives given by President Joko Widodo to ensure the much-needed introduction of direct flights from India, China, and Russia.
According to Sandiaga, Lion Air, operating only on a charter basis from the PRC, plans to convert its China service to regularly scheduled flights in Q2 of 2023.
The Minister revealed that he has dispatched a special team to India to attend the South Asia Tourism and Travel Exchange (SATTE) from 09-11 February in Delhi, India, to lobby for direct flights to Bali from South Asia. Sandiaga said the Indian market exhibits strong demand for Bali travel, especially from Indians wishing to have wedding events in Bali.
There are no direct flights from Russia to Bali, but Sandiaga’s Ministry continues to seek collaborations to encourage this flight routing.
Minister Sandiaga said he remains optimistic that the target of 7.4 million foreign tourists to Indonesia will be met or exceeded in 2023.
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