Singapore, Indonesia set to boost aviation links to promote tourism
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.