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Indonesia set to welcome more holidaymakers from eastern Europe

Tourists from eastern Europe are slated to flock to other provinces in Indonesia this year.

Intan Tanjung (The Jakarta Post)
Bali
Sat, June 25, 2016

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Indonesia set to welcome more holidaymakers from eastern Europe A tour operator from Kazakhstan said his company planned to send graduating students to visit several cities throughout Indonesia. (Shutterstock/-)

Tourists from eastern Europe are slated to flock to Indonesia this year.

A small number of tourists from the region reportedly visited Bali and considered the island one of their favorite destinations.

“Bali has already become a popular destination for people from Kazakhstan,” I Gde Pitana, deputy minister for overseas promotion at the Tourism Ministry, told The Jakarta Post. “There are already a number of people from Kazakhstan coming to Bali, but the number is very small."

I Gde Pitana added that he was optimistic the country would see more eastern Europeans visiting Bali and other destinations beyond the island, especially since one of the regions’ airlines has opened a new direct route to Bali.

LOT Polish Airlines recently launched direct flights from Warsaw, the capital of Poland, to Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali. The non-stop flight is slated to operate between June 23 and Oct. 28 using a Boeing 787-8, according to Routes Online. It is scheduled to leave Warsaw at 10:45 a.m. and land in Bali at 6 a.m. Meanwhile, the return flight will depart from Bali at 7:40 a.m. and arrive in Warsaw at 3:35 p.m.

“We realize that eastern Europe is an emerging market for tourism and there are some possibilities to increase our relationship with the region, especially since our tourism is growing and economic growth in eastern Europe is good,” said I Gde Pitana.

(Read also: Bali and Beyond Travel Fair aims to unlock tourism potential)

Bali and Beyond Travel Fair 2016, which is held in Nusa Dua until Saturday, welcomes several tour operators from countries in eastern Europe such as Ukraine, Romania, Kazakhstan and Poland. During the event, they meet local tour operators, hotels and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and learn more about destinations, attractions and opportunities to send visitors to Indonesia.

A company from Kazakhstan said that it planned to send graduating students to visit several cities in Indonesia.

“We have programs on offer for students who pass the exams and get a good score. We want to take them to learn about Indonesian culture and the country,” said Ayupov Valentin, a manager from the Kazakhstan-based Miras Travel Agency.

Valentin said the company had designed travel programs to take graduates to several cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta and Bali. It also plans to include the Borobudur and Prambanan temples to the itinerary in addition to taking participants to Bali during the end of trip.

Valentin himself once visited Bali, but hasn’t explored other cities. Before this trip to Bali for the fair, he and his group from Kazakhstan were invited by the Indonesian Embassy in Kazakshtan to visit those cities.

“For our people in Kazakhstan, Bali is a new destination and it is home to a unique culture and very beautiful nature. In terms of price, traveling to Bali is not so expensive, unlike going to Europe, but the island offers so many attractions: you can see tropical animals, enjoy the culture, eat good food, everything you want you can get,” he added. (kes)

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