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Indonesia, Kazakhstan consider direct flights for tourism
Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno met with Kazakhstani Ambassador to Indonesia Daniyar Sareknov on Tuesday to discuss the possible introduction of direct flights between the two countries.
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Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno (left) meets with Kazakhstani Ambassador to Indonesia Daniyar Sareknov (right) in Jakarta on June 15 to discuss possible direct flights between Indonesia’s Bali, Jakarta and Surabaya and Kazakhstan’s Astana and Almaty. (Kemenparekraf handout/-)
I
ndonesian 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.
Kazakhstan has been offering Indonesian tourists visa-free entry since 2019. Direct flights would make it easier for Indonesians to take advantage of that offer.
While cross-border travel has been impeded for more than a year by the coronavirus pandemic, Indonesia has established travel corridor arrangements (TCA) with China, Singapore, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but these arrangements serve business and diplomatic purposes rather than tourism.
Last month, Sandiaga met with ambassadors from seven more countries to discuss TCA in preparation for the reopening of Indonesia’s borders to international vacationers.
