Indonesian airlines failing to attract growing number of Chinese visitors
January 7th, 2008
According to Antara news, Indonesia has received a growing number of Chinese tourists however these visitors are still using foreign airlines to make the journey, said Mr Sudrajat, Indonesia’s ambassador to China.
Most of the Chinese visitors used other airlines such as Southern Airlines, which offer direct flights between Shanghai and Bali, and China Air. Last year, there were over 30, 000 Chinese travellers to Indonesia and it is anticipated that the figure will be twice as much this year.
“National airlines have yet to grab the opportunity offered by the increasing number of Chinese people who go to Indonesia, and they have not been able to increase their Indonesia-China flight frequencies,” said Mr Sudrajat,
The Visit Indonesia Year 2008 (VIY) was recently launched in Jakarta during December last year by Indonesia’s Minister for Tourism and Culture, Jero Wacik.
The program aims to help Indonesia attract around seven million tourists from around the world. After the Visa-On-Arrival service was introduced for Chinese officials travelling to Indonesia, the number of Chinese visitors to places like Bali grew considerably, said Sudrajat.
However, the ambassador commented that several Chinese tourists had criticized the service they had received while using Indonesian airlines. This included things such as common delays in flight.
The Indonesian Ambassador called on the Tourism and Culture Ministry, the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing as well as flight and tour operators to help Indonesia reach the target set for Chinese travellers arriving in 2008.
There are currently three Indonesian carriers that fly offer flights between Indonesia and China including Garuda Indonesia, Batavia Air and Lion Air.
Source: http://www.etravelblackboardasia.com/
Entry Filed under: World Tourism News
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