Singapore, Indonesia set to boost aviation links to promote tourism
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In an apparent effort to boost the number of foreign tourists visiting the archipelago, the Indonesian and Singaporean governments have agreed to cooperate on tourism and establish more aviation links.
Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa said on Tuesday that the two governments hoped to increase the number of flights from China, India and the Middle East into Indonesia, which would be promoted as a joint destination along with Singapore.
"We need to enlarge our seat capacity in order to boost tourist arrivals," said Hatta after a meeting with his Singaporean counterpart Yeo Cheow Tong and Indonesia's State Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik.
Jero said currently there were only about eight million seats available per year in flights from abroad. "That brings some five million tourists (annually)."
To reach the government's target to bring in six million foreign holidaymakers to the country this year, the capacity should reach 12 million seats annually, he added.
Yeo said that under this program, the number of flights from Singapore to cities currently served by Singapore Airlines, such as Jakarta, Denpasar, Medan and Surabaya, would be extended.
"We'll be looking into adding a few more cities, which will broaden the horizon of tourism products in Indonesia," he said, without specifying the targets.
"It's a win-win approach," Yeo stated. By flying more to Indonesia, the airlines in Singapore, as well as the city-state's tourism boards, could and would promote both countries as a joint destination.
Senior officials from the departments involved held another meeting Tuesday and are expected to meet again next week to discuss the program's details. Within two weeks, the ministers will reconvene here to sign an agreement.
The tourism sector in Indonesia has suffered from several blows in recent years, starting with the May riots in 1998 that scared off foreigners.
Bombing incidents in Bali in 2002 and the blasts in Jakarta in 2003 and 2004, followed by repeated travel warnings from the United States, several European countries and Australia, further hampered the sector's development.
However, with the authorities and industry players applying preventive measures and bringing security back to an acceptable level, lack of promotion is seen now as the main reason behind the sector's stagnation.
The tourism and culture ministry has allocated a mere Rp 104 billion (US$11.30 million), roughly one-fifth of its total budget this year, for tourism promotion and marketing. It is trying to get its proposal for additional promotion funds of Rp 94 billion to be approved by the House of Representatives.
Last year, the office estimated that 5.3 million people came through 13 entry ports into the archipelago and generated approximately $5.3 billion in foreign exchange.