0 Govt urged to open access to EuropeAmerica

The tourism industry has frequently asked the central government to provide access to European and American markets by opening direct flight routes for domestic and international airlines. Sugeng Supriyanto from Top Indonesia Holidays said America and Europe were considered the two markets with the most potential for Indonesia, Bali in particular, in terms of their length of stay, spending and quality. 

“Tourists from the two continents prefer cultural activities and nature-based tourism, which are suitable for Bali if it wants to focus on quality tourism instead of the present mass, commercialized tourism,” explained Supriyanto. Unfortunately, Indonesia still has very limited access to the two huge markets because of the absence of direct flights from the countries of origin to Indonesia. 

“They [American and European holidaymakers] have to take flights that transit in any of several southeast Asian countries, like Malaysia, Singapore or Thailand, before reaching Bali and other destinations in Indonesia,” said Supriyanto. To make matters more difficult, some countries in Europe and some American states do not have direct flights to Asian countries. In America, only the more populated states, such as California and New York, have direct flights to Asian countries like Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. 

“This will likely push their travel costs up if they want to come to Indonesia, preventing many Americans and Europeans from spending vacations here,” he added. Supriyanto said that the government should not turn a deaf ear to the rising demand of international airlines to open direct flights. “Indonesia will really benefit from the opening of direct flights as many more people will come here more easily and Indonesia will be more accessible to international visitors,” he claimed. 

Garuda Indonesia once had direct flights between Jakarta-Amsterdam, Jakarta-Paris, Jakarta-London and Jakarta-Frankfurt. “The government must be courageous and smart enough to invest in the future. It may provide special subsidies to the national airline to resume its previous international routes,” he said. A tourist from America or Europe will have to spend at least US$6,000 per holiday, including ticket and accommodation, for two weeks in Bali or other places in Indonesia. 

According to data from the Bali tourism office, visitors from North America totaled 130,406 (4.97 percent) people, while European visitors totaled 588,329 (22.42 percent) in 2012. Data showed that the US, Canada and several European countries, such as the Netherlands, Italy, the UK, Germany, France and Russia, were included in the top 20 countries that make up Bali’s major markets. According to a survey, the average length of stay of Dutch tourists was 17.37 days, followed by French visitors with 13.74 days, Americans with 12.49 days and British tourists with 11.84 days. 

In terms of spending, Americans spent an average of $148.77 per day; Australians spent $182.9 per day; Singaporeans spent $199.07; Chinese visitors spent $173.88; Malaysians spent $174.80; Britons spent $128.60; and French visitors spent an average of $124.45 per day. Ketut Ardana, chairman of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA), agreed the government should give adequate subsidies and financial support to Indonesian airlines that wanted to open new routes to America and Europe. 

“Air transportation services contribute around 40 percent of travel cost. It is important for the government of Indonesia to help cut the travel costs of foreigners willing to come here,” said Ardana. One of the ways to reduce travel costs is to open direct flights from their countries to Indonesia. “When a visitor takes Singapore Airline, for instance, he or she has to transit in Singapore before continuing the trip to Bali. The transit will add to the travel cost,” he explained. Opening direct flights will become an effective way of promoting Indonesian tourism. “It will be very easy to invite tourists who live in countries that have direct flights to Indonesia,” he said.

source : bali daily