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Bali expects more direct flights, new routes from China
The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry and Indonesian travel firms are pushing for new routes from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou after China's lifting of COVID-19 curbs opens the doors for more tourists from the country.
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Chinese tourists board a charter flight headed for China at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali, on Feb. 8, 2020. (courtesy of PT Angkasa Pura I/-)
T
he Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry is pushing for direct flights with the Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, in line with a recommendation from the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA).
“We hope such direct flights can bump up Chinese tourist visits,” Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said on Tuesday.
Several carriers from Indonesia and China have expressed their interest in serving such routes, according to the ministry, including airlines under the Lion Air Group.
Lion Air Group is said to be adding more direct charter and scheduled flights between Bali and China. Currently, the company offers one scheduled flight every week between China’s Shenzhen and Denpasar in Bali, with plans to add more flights by June.
Furthermore, it has announced its intention to gradually open new routes connecting Indonesia with other Chinese cities, including Beijing, Xián, Jinzhou, Haikou, Kunming, Lanzhou, Nanchang, Nanjing, Ningbo, Shanghai-Hongqiao, Shanghai-Pudong, Zhengzhou and Guangzhou.
The ministry has declared a target of welcoming 255,300 Chinese tourists to Indonesia this year, which translates to 2,000 to 2,500 visits per day.
That target is a far cry from more than 2 million Chinese tourists counted in 2019, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).
