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Tourism development policies discussed at national working meeting
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A cruise ship sails toward sunset. Speeding up the upgrading of airport and seaports at tourist destinations as well as easing regulations for cruise ships to enter local waters are among policies introduced by the Transportation Ministry to support tourism development. (Shutterstock/File)
T
he Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) held its second national working meeting of the year in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on April 26 to discuss ways to further develop tourism in Indonesia.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said at the meeting that the ministry had four policies that supported the development of tourism. The first is improving airport and seaport infrastructure at tourist destinations, which included easing regulations on entry permits for cruise ships.
Read also: 24 cruise ships slated to visit Lombok throughout 2017
Second, the ministry is pushing national airlines and shipping companies to serve routes to tourist destinations. Third is improving bilateral aviation partnerships with popular inbound countries through airports as part of the ASEAN Open Skies agreement.
The last is to increase involvement with the private sector in providing transportation that meets safety and comfort standards.
Read also: Five lush accommodations across Indonesia for millennial travelers
The ministry’s director general for air transportation, Agus Santoso, added that specific policies had been introduced to increase the number of foreign arrivals. The first is giving permission to foreign airlines to increase flight frequency from countries such as Australia, Britain, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States and Middle Eastern countries to tourist destinations, especially the 10 prioritized locations.
The ministry has also eased restrictions on obtaining approval for domestic and foreign airlines to increase flights during peak seasons.
Meanwhile, the Tourism Ministry stated that it would provide incentives in order to increase flight frequency by giving discounts for destinations with low demand. (kes)
