Garuda Indonesia will introduce special packages
Garuda Indonesia will introduce special packages
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, will
introduce special packages to various international destinations
in order to compete better in the global airline industry.
As an initial step, the carrier introduced yesterday their
Garuda Hong Kong Package, a special tour package to Hong Kong
offering travel insurance for the passengers.
The package includes an economy class round trip ticket to
Hong Kong, three days and two nights of accommodation, breakfast,
a city tour, bus transportation, a 10 kilogram excess baggage
allowance, a souvenir, a traveling bag, tour guidance and a cash
coupon for duty free shopping. It is between US$30 to $70 cheaper
than similar packages offered by its competitors, according to
Garuda's general manager for Jakarta, Iwan H. Susilo
"This is a fight not just a gimmick. We will introduce other
packages soon," he said, adding that Garuda currently links
Jakarta and Hong Kong 13 times per week.
Iwan said that Garuda ran a Hong Kong travel package before,
but it didn't attract customers.
"We have evaluated it and now offer tours proposed by the Hong
Kong Travel Association. Travelers will also get travel
insurance," he said.
Leading
He said that Garuda has been the leading airline for the
Jakarta to Hong Kong route in the last few years, with a stable
load factor.
"Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines are the other major
carriers which also offer very attractive packages," he said.
According to Iwan, the scheme doesn't violate ticket pricing
arrangements introduced by the International Air Transport
Association.
"We are offering packages, not cutting ticket prices," he
said.
Garuda, which cooperates with the Hong Kong Travel Association
and the Central Asia insurance firm, sells the packages for
between $689 and $1,126 to Hong Kong and between $686 and $1,227
to Kowloon, depending on the months and hotels.
A senior manager at the Hong Kong Travel Association, Susan
Tang, said that the number of Indonesians visiting Hong Kong
increased in the last couple of years.
"Last year, Hong Kong received 9.33 million international
visitors, up 4.4 percent from 8.93 million in the previous year.
The number of Indonesian visitors reached 176,014 in 1994, up one
percent from 174,346 in 1993," she said, adding that numbers of
visitors from Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia slightly
decreased.
She said that the Hong Kong association is optimistic that
they will realize a three to five percent increase in the number
of tourist arrivals this year. (icn)