Garuda Indonesia asked to keep Bali-Paris route

Garuda Indonesia asked to keep Bali-Paris route

JAKARTA (JP): Bali Governor Ida Bagus Oka has asked national
air carrier Garuda Indonesia not to cancel its Denpasar (Bali)-
Paris route.

Oka said that Bali, the country's most popular tourist
destination, would be affected if Garuda stopped the service.

"It will also affect the country's tourism industry in
general," he said.

Oka said he did not understand why Garuda planned to terminate
the route, Antara news agency reported Saturday.

Garuda lost Rp 122.8 billion (about US$42.34 million) in the
first half this year.

It is currently engaged in a massive restructuring program
which includes cutting flights.

Putri Bali Hotel's general manager, Nyoman Megeg, said
Garuda's plan to stop its service linking Bali with Paris, Rome
and Zurich, would hurt tourism on the island.

"Bali will be hurt, especially when other airlines also stop
services to the island," he said.

Germany's Lufthansa and the Netherlands' KLM Royal Dutch
Airlines are also planning to stop services to Bali later this
year because the services are not profitable enough.

KLM recently decided to phase its nine flights a week to
Indonesia to seven flights a week from Nov. 1, terminating its
services to Surabaya in East Java and Bali.

But Indonesia needs more international air carriers to fly
here to support the tourism industry.

Nineteen of its 23 airports cater for international flights.

The country's tourism industry is expected to play an
increasingly important role in the economy.

The government hopes it will become the country's largest
foreign exchange earner in the 2000s, replacing the oil and gas
sector.

Some 11.1 million tourists are expected to visit Indonesia in
2005, spending $15 billion.

Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications data shows 38
foreign airlines regularly serve Indonesia, with 7 million seats
available annually.

The annual seating capacity of international flights to
Indonesia needs to increase three fold if the country is to meet
its target for 2005. (icn)