Rerouting of domestic flights to support tourism industry
Rerouting of domestic flights to support tourism industry
JAKARTA (JP): The planned rerouting of domestic flights, which
will offer direct services to several destinations, will support
the growth of the tourism industry, Director General of Tourism
Andi Mappi Sammeng said yesterday.
He told a two-day workshop on tourism product improvement at
Hotel Wisata International that direct air links between remote
cities will be very helpful for both domestic and foreign
tourists.
He acknowledged that many air services still force passengers
to stop at transit points.
The Ministry of Transportation has completed a plan to revise
domestic airline routes to help reduce costs for passengers due
to inefficient flight operations. The realigned routes, including
14 new domestic routes served by the country's six scheduled
airlines, however, have not yet been announced.
The rerouting, for example, will introduce direct flights
between Medan in North Sumatra and Ujungpandang in South Sulawesi
with no stopover in Jakarta.
Andi also said that each of the country's 27 provinces should
establish special tourism packages focusing on specialties.
"Each province can arrange, at least, two sorts of tour
packages, including a one-day city sightseeing tour and a longer
tour," he said.
He also said that each tourism destination should promote its
tourism products in other parts of the country because domestic
visitors can also support the growth of the tourism industry.
Frustration
Meanwhile, president of the Japan Travel Bureau Indonesia,
Seiichiro Sakaguchi, said yesterday that most Japanese tourists
visiting Indonesia have been frustrated in facing three factors,
including funare, meaning not accustomed to, fushinsetsu, meaning
unkind people, and fuben, meaning lack of convenience.
He said that several tourists from Japan, one of the major
markets for Indonesia's tourism industry, for example, need about
four hours to complete immigration processes, baggage claim,
airport check-in, hotel reception, baggage deliveries, food and
drink orders, and hotel check-out.
"The worst is the frequent delay of flights," he said.
He also said tourism-related personnel in Indonesia mostly
lack tourism information.
"I have made a personal survey by asking for information from
hotel concierge, licensed guides, travel agents and other people
supposed to be able to give enough and correct information. The
results of the survey indicated that only 53 percent of their
answers were correct," he said.
Sakaguchi said that in the survey, his questions were related
to the opening hours and entrance fees of the Indonesia in
Miniature Park, taxi fares in Jakarta, regular sightseeing buses
in capital, restaurants with folk dances and city maps.(icn)