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Manado-Davao direct flight set to bring more foreign tourists to North Sulawesi
North Sulawesi could also benefit from the large number of foreign tourists that visit the Philippines every year.
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A woman snorkels in North Sulawesi waters. The North Sulawesi administration hopes the recent opening of a direct flight between Manado and Davao in the Philippines will help increase the number of foreign tourists visiting the province (Shutterstock/soft_light)
W
ith the opening of a direct flight between Manado, North Sulawesi, and Davao in the Philippines, the Indonesian province expects to see a sharp increase in the number of foreign tourists.
The Tourism Ministry’s marketing development deputy assistant for region I, Rizki Handayani, said the opening of the direct flight gave North Sulawesi an opportunity to attract foreign tourists not only from the Philippines but also from other countries.
"Davao is one of the Philippines' tourist cities. About 1 million tourists from South Korea visit the Philippines every year, not to mention other foreign tourists from countries such as Japan and the United States. This provides great potential," Rizki told Kompas.com following the inauguration of Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia’s direct flight between the two cities on Sept. 27.
Garuda Indonesia CEO I Gusti Ngurah Askhara said the plan to open the route emerged during a meeting with then-governor of North Sumatera Sinyo Harru Sarundajang.
According to Askhara, the opening of the new route would not only increase foreign tourist arrivals but also boost trade between Manado and other major cities in Southeast Asia.
"We are assessing the potential for Australia [for the next route]. We will support the [North Sulawesi] administration to develop Manado as it is one of the major cities in northern Indonesia," Askhara said.
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