Airline tickets sold out for hot destinations

Airline tickets sold out for hot destinations

JAKARTA (JP): Air tickets for popular international
destinations for early to mid February are fully booked as tens
of thousands of Indonesians plan to go abroad for the Chinese new
year and Idul Fitri holidays.

Travel executives told The Jakarta Post over the weekend that
domestic air routes had also been fully booked for popular
destinations during the period.

Chinese new year falls on Feb. 7, while Idul Fitri is on Feb.
9 and Feb. 10.

"Air tickets for popular domestic and overseas destinations
have been fully booked for the Feb. 5 and Feb. 10 period. People
asking for any tickets will be put on a waiting list," Bobby
Moningka of PT Smailing Tur said here Saturday.

He said that best-selling domestic air routes included flights
from Jakarta to Denpasar (Bali), Surabaya (East Java),
Yogyakarta, Semarang and Surakarta (Central Java), Pangkalpinang
(Bangka Island, South Sumatra), Pontianak (West Kalimantan),
Medan (North Sumatra), Balikpapan (East Kalimantan) and Manado
(North Sulawesi).

Among the most attractive overseas destinations were
Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Perth in
Australia and Honolulu, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco
in the United States, he said.

He said that the best-selling overseas tour packages were
excursions to the U.S., Australia/New Zealand and
Singapore/Bangkok/Hong Kong.

An outbound manager of PT Bayu Buana, Nurdin Supena, said that
many Indonesians were interested in going on package holidays to
the U.S.

"Tours to Europe are currently less attractive, perhaps
because of the recent reports that the weather is so cold there,"
he said.

Some travel agents offer various overseas packages ranging in
price from US$750 to $3,000. A seven-day China tour, for
instance, costs $750 per person, while a 12-day West Coast U.S.
tour costs $2,150 per person.

Bobby said that Smailing Tur would handle a number of groups
to the U.S., with some 30 people in each group. "There are only a
few places left."

The tour packages to Australia/New Zealand and
Singapore/Bangkok/Hong Kong are also crowded, but some spaces are
still available.

"I think the take up of packages will be about the same as
last year," Bobby said.

Nurdin said that some 450 people had already booked at his
office for the U.S. West Coast tours and 570 people for the
packages to Australia/New Zealand.

In addition to overseas tours, travel agents also provide
international air tickets.

"There are also many people booking air tickets, not tour
packages. This is due to the fierce competition among domestic
travel agents. Several agents offer competitive prices but less
qualified products and many first-time travelers do not realize
this," Bobby said.

The Association of Indonesian Travel Agencies (Asita) groups
some 1,700 travel agents nationwide, more than 70 percent of
which are located in Jakarta.

According to Bobby, travelers, especially those who are going
abroad for the first time, should consider the packages.

"They have to pay attention to the hotel, meals and other
facilities, and not look at just the cheap price."

"People have also prepared their holidays long before the
departure date as they have to submit down-payments. Some people
have not realized that travel agents will charge them for any
cancellation," he said.

More than one million Indonesians traveled abroad in 1996.
Unofficial data show that hundreds of thousands of Indonesians
traveled abroad during the Christmas and new year holiday last
year.

Smaller

"The number of travelers during the Chinese new year and Idul
Fitri holidays next month will be smaller than one might have
expected as many people spent time abroad during the Christmas
and new year holiday last year. The occasions come too close
together," said Nurdin.

Retno Maspaitella, an executive of JetAbout, the agent for
National Jet System (NJS) which serves the Jakarta-Christmas
Island route, said that the airline was full for the Chinese new
year and Idul Fitri holidays.

NJS serves Jakarta-Christmas Island thrice weekly with BAe-146
aircraft.

Christmas Island, a small Australian-controlled island located
in the Indian Ocean, is popular with Indonesians as a resort
owned by businessman Robby Sumampouw there offers gambling, a
form of entertainment banned in Indonesia. The resort, however,
has been less popular in the recent years due to ineffective
promotions.

Hung Hung, an executive of Christmas Island Resort, the only
star-rated property on Christmas Island, said that the hotel had
not yet received any bookings for the Chinese new year and Idul
Fitri holidays next month. (icn)