Lack of flights hampers Yogya tourism
Lack of flights hampers Yogya tourism
By Anis Suryani
YOGYAKARTA (JP): The riots and violence that have plagued a
number of cities across Indonesia recently have resulted in
sluggish tourism in the country.
Between 1997 and 1998, the average occupancy rate of star-
rated hotels in Indonesian plummeted to a mere 10 percent to 20
percent. Earlier this year that figure slowly rose to over 40
percent -- a sign of recovery in the tourist sector.
Although free from riots, tourism in Yogyakarta has still felt
the impact, although tourists continue to visit the city.
Despite the presence of some tourists, the number of tourist
arrivals is still considered too slow, a situation which is
blamed on the limited number of flights into the city -- the mode
of transportation the majority of tourists use to travel to and
from Yogyakarta.
The general manager of Hotel Melia Purosani, Frans H. Staats,
said one of the main hurdles to tourism in Yogyakarta was air
transportation.
"The only solution is to turn Adisucipto into a real
international airport which can accommodate aircraft with larger
capacities. If tourism continues to rely only on Bali and
Jakarta, Yogyakarta's tourist sector will remain as is now," said
Staats.
The managing director of local travel agent Bintang Indonesia,
Tugasmin Bintang, voiced a similar opinion.
"Currently, an average of 50 percent of tourist tickets we
handle are air tickets and the rest are for trains. In fact,
demand for air transportation is higher. Tourists travel by train
only because the air tickets are sold out. The train is only an
alternative," Bintang said.
Peak demand for air and train tickets, according to him, was
on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
"On these three days, there is an average demand for 250
tickets altogether, and out of that number 80 percent are air
tickets," said Bintang.
With about 30 companies providing ticketing services
throughout Yogyakarta, the demand for tickets to and from
Yogyakarta can be estimated.
Garuda Indonesia, which has six flights a day on the Jakarta-
Yogyakarta route, the busiest route to and from Yogyakarta, is
almost always fully booked on weekends.
Opportunity
A number of airlines have recently opened branch offices in
Yogyakarta, seizing the opportunity of this high demand.
Pelita Air, for instance, has four flights a week connecting
Yogyakarta with Surabaya, Jakarta, Ujung Pandang and Kendari.
They began operating the routes in September using Fokker 28 and
Fokker 70 aircraft.
"Pelita Air's operation helps meet the demand. Also, its
service is good and can become an alternative to other airlines,"
Bintang said.
A newcomer, Jatayu Airline, affiliated with PT Jatayu Gilang
Sejahtera, has plans to connect Yogyakarta with Jakarta,
Denpasar, Manado and Palu, as well as flying between Yogyakarta
and Johor, Malaysia, starting in early December.
The airline's district manager, Bambang Mardiono, said that
for the Yogyakarta-Johor route, Jatayu would operate as a
chartered aircraft because Adisucipto is not yet an international
airport.
"We will fly the Yogyakarta-Johor route three times a week. We
have signed a cooperation deal with a consortium of travel agents
in Johor and ASITA Yogyakarta to realize this plan. With this
route, we are ready to serve tourists flying the
Johor-Yogyakarta-Bali route," Bambang said.
Johor, he said, was chosen because of existing demand in the
city for flights to Yogyakarta. Aside from Singapore, he added,
Johor was now an alternative international gateway which was
increasingly popular among tourists wanting to fly to Bali
without stopping over in Jakarta.
Demand for flights to and from Yogyakarta, Bambang noted, was
a good opportunity for Jatayu, which wants to make the city one
of its home bases. For its operational purposes, Jatayu has two
Boeing 737 aircraft with 109 seats each.
"The plan is four aircraft will be in operation by 2001," he
said.