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Belitung to soon welcome first international flight
It takes 1.5 hours for a direct flight to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Belitung.
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Bangka Belitung is famous for its rocky beaches. (Shutterstock/File)
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n Sept. 10, the H.A.S. Hanandjoeddin International Airport in Belitung is set to welcome its first ever international flight that departs from Malaysia.
“This will be the first international landing after the airport has been upgraded to an international airport. A total of 188 tourists from Malaysia will travel with Sriwijaya Air, arriving at 10 a.m.,” said Belitung Tourism Agency head Hermanto.
It takes 1.5 hours for a direct flight to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Belitung.
“The plan is for these tourists to be welcomed by Belitung Regent H Sahani Saleh and East Belitung Regent Yuslih Ihza. There will be a welcome dance as well and the head of the tourist group will be given a souvenir and traditional scarf,” added Hermanto.
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Afterwards, the group will be taken to East Belitung where they will hear a presentation about investment opportunities in the region followed by a lunch event.
The tourists will then travel to Belitung regency and Tanjung Kelayang that has been listed in the Tourism Ministry’s 10 priority destinations list.
“We will showcase several arts and cultural performances. These tourists will continue their journey to Singapore after dinner,” told Hermanto.
Prior to becoming an international airport, the H.A.S. Hanandjoeddin only served domestic routes such as Belitung – Pangkal Pinang, Belitung – Palembang and Belitung – Jakarta.
According to Tourism Minister Arief Yahya, the airport upgrade is a critical success factor in order to boost the tourism development in Belitung.
“Apart from the airport, there‘s also a cruise terminal that can welcome 3,000 tourists and a marina for yachts that will be developed soon,” Arief said. (kes)
