Merpati to fly to Broome

Merpati to fly to Broome

PERTH, Australia (AP): Backpacking tourism in Australia's remote northwest Kimberley region may boom with the introduction of the area's first regular international flights from Indonesia to Broome in November.

One of Indonesia's airlines, Merpati Airlines, will fly two return flights a week from Jakarta, via Denpasar, in Bali, to the coastal town of Broome, 1,430 miles (2,300 km) north of Perth, Western Australian state Tourism Minister Norman Moore announced.

Moore said the flights would open the door to tourism in the region, with Broome acting as a launch point for tourists.

He said the introduction of the flights tied in well with the launch in Indonesia of advertisements promoting Western Australia.

A spokesman for the minister said the flights would target backpackers from Britain, Germany and Italy traveling in Bali.

"The type of people they are attracting are the more individual type of tourists who like a bit of adventure and want to hang around for a couple of weeks rather than just a few days," the spokesman said.

He also said Merpati flying from Jakarta meant the airline could attract tourists arriving in Indonesia from all over the world.

The Indonesian and expatriate market would also be targeted and there were plans to grab a portion of the European market in the future.

Between Christmas and New Year, and the Chinese New Year and Ramadan, Merpati would fly daily.

The spokesman said there were also hopes to establish a flying school in Broome to train Indonesian pilots.