The Tourism Ministry’s marketing development deputy 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 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.

Besides providing direct flights, Garuda is also helping resolve the travel problems many local travelers face when trying to visit other countries. "Many people have difficulties obtaining a passport," he said, adding that the airline helped address the issue by reporting it to the Foreign Ministry and North Sulawesi Deputy Governor Steven Kandouw.

"We not only opened [the route] but we're trying to solve problems [faced by potential passengers]."

Meanwhile, Steven said he appreciated Garuda’s initiative to open the direct flight from Manado to Davao.

According to the deputy governor, the route has great potential to attract more foreign tourists to the province. He praised Garuda for making such a daring move as opening a new route is quite risky considering the volatility of the airline industry and the complex regulations.

"We hope that it [the new route] can accelerate the North Sulawesi government's roadmap to further promote tourism in the province.”

Besides tourism, the relationship between Indonesia and the Philippines could be strengthened, especially in regard to culture and trade, he added.

The Tourism Ministry’s marketing development deputy for region III, Muh Ricky Fauziyani, said the new route had the full support of the government. "We appreciate the opening of the new route. This will surely support tourism in North Sulawesi and Indonesia."

The support would be given through numerous promotional activities, including inviting tourism stakeholders from the Philippines to come to North Sulawesi, he said.

Ricky also revealed that during the first half of this year, some 179,000 tourists from the Philippines visited Indonesia, exceeding the initial target of 150,000 tourists.

"We hope the new Davao-Manado flights will increase the number of tourists [from the Philippines], especially those who fly direct," Ricky said, adding that Manado had seen a continuous decline in the number of tourists from the Philippines for the last three years.

Last week, acting Foreign Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah said the decision to reopen the route was made as part of a wider regional effort to improve connectivity among ASEAN member states, particularly between Indonesia and the Philippines.

With the two partners celebrating 70 years of formal relations this year, the reopening of the route should be seen as a diplomatic milestone that opens up more opportunities for collaboration in various sectors, Faizasyah said.

With robust economic growth, positive trade outlook and the increasing presence of Filipino tourists overseas, he said Indonesia stands to benefit from greater access to the Philippine market — which, with a 108 million-strong population, is the second-largest in Southeast Asia.

The ministry spokesman said, however, that there was no clear economic target to fulfil for the Manado-Davao corridor.

“We won’t be able to immediately assign a target for pioneering [the route] and [for simply] building more connectivity,” he told The Jakarta Post recently, noting that the decision to open the route fulfilled both the economic and security aspects of border affairs between the two nations.

A memorandum of understanding on the expansion of air linkages was signed in 2007 by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines under the East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) framework, a subregional order for one of Southeast Asia’s most resource-rich areas, which includes the Heart of Borneo and the Sulu-Sulawesi marine ecoregion.

At the time, both Manado and Davao were appointed connectivity hubs.

But the idea of connecting an oft-overlooked part of the region goes back even longer.

According to a press release from the Indonesian Embassy in Manila, the seeds for the eventual reopening of the route had been sown 30 years prior when Ambassador Sinyo H. Sarundajang was still the mayor of Bitung, a coastal city on the northern tip of North Sulawesi. At the time, the mayor of Davao was Rodrigo Duterte, who has since become president of the Philippines. The two have a long-standing rapport, the embassy said.

“It makes perfect sense that the Manado-Davao air route [should] be launched, as it represents the closest geographical points between the two countries. The cost and time savings will undoubtedly promote closer ties and cooperation between Indonesia and the Philippines,” said Leehiong T. Wee, the Philippine ambassador to Indonesia, during a ceremony to inaugurate the maiden flight at Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado, on Sept. 27.

It complements the recently relaunched maritime sea route powered by Reefer Express Lines for the Mindanao-North Sulawesi shipping route, he said. (asp/tjs)

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