Indonesian nationals may soon be able to fly directly to Almaty and Astana in Kazakhstan as discussions have begun on charter flights and the potential of halal tourism to boost travel between the two countries.

In a meeting on Tuesday, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno and Kazakhstani Ambassador to Indonesia Daniyar Sareknov discussed direct flights between Bali, Jakarta and Surabaya, East Java, and Kazakhstan’s metropolis Almaty and its capital city Astana, also known as Nur-Sultan.

“I'm very optimistic that we can collaborate in tourism and creative economy development after the pandemic,” Sandiaga said in a press statement following the meeting.