Garuda launches new packages
Garuda launches new packages
JAKARTA (JP): After launching tour packages to New Zealand
about a month ago, state-owned Garuda Indonesia yesterday
launched new tour packages to the Gold Coast and Cairns in
Australia, the sixth in a series of packages introduced since
1995.
Garuda's general manager for Jakarta, Iwan H. Susilo, said
that the new packages, valid from May 2, 1996, to March 31, 1997,
are arranged in cooperation with Ansett Australia and the
Australian Tourist Commission.
Currently, the flag carrier has tour packages to Hong Kong,
Singapore, Perth (Australia) and Honolulu-Los Angeles (the United
States) to attract more passengers on its overseas routes.
Iwan said that the new packages to the Gold Coast with an
extension to Cairns will hopefully increase the load factor of
Garuda's Jakarta-Brisbane and Jakarta-Cairns services.
Garuda currently serves the Jakarta-Brisbane route four times
per week and Jakarta-Cairns two times per week. With the new
package to Gold Coast, the factor in the Jakarta-Brisbane route,
which ranges between 50 percent and 60 percent, is expected to
increase to 75 percent or 80 percent.
"We serve no other place with so many destinations. In
addition, people don't need to go far away to Japan, the United
States or France to see places like Movie World, Sea World or
Dream World offered in the Gold Coast package," Iwan said.
Garuda offers two packages, one for five days/three nights and
the other for three days/two nights.
The tours include a round-trip economy class air ticket for
the Jakarta-Brisbane-Jakarta route and covers the entrance fees
to Movie World, Sea World and Dream World.
Prices range from US$946 to $1,220 for the Gold Coast package
and $423-$679 for Cairns extension package per person, depending
on the hotels and services.
The published rate for the Jakarta-Brisbane excursion airfare
is $884.
Garuda offers commissions of between $50 and $85 per passenger
for any travel agents dealing with the new tour packages.
"We hop to get 1,000 customers to participate in this new tour
package," Iwan said.
In addition to Brisbane and Cairns, Garuda currently flies to
four other Australian cities -- Perth (seven times per week),
Melbourne (six times per week), Sydney (seven times per week) and
Darwin (one time per week).
Other airlines linking Indonesia and Australia include Sempati
Air (serving Jakarta-Perth four times per week), Merpati (Kupang-
Darwin two times per week and Jakarta-Melbourne three times per
week starting next month), Ansett (Jakarta-Sydney four times per
week, Denpasar-Perth two times per week and Denpasar-Darwin two
times per week) and Qantas (Jakarta-Sydney seven times per week
and Jakarta-Perth three times per week).
Australia last year saw 3.7 million foreign tourist arrivals,
with Japan (782,671), New Zealand (538,377), Britain (347,894),
the United States (305,875) and Singapore (202,366) as the top
five sources.
Asia continues to fuel the Australian tourist industry, with
the number of visitors heading down under increasing by 21
percent to 1.09 million in 1995. Visitors from Indonesia
increased by 27.7 percent to 134,958 in 1995. (icn)