THE Indonesian government will not abandon Europe in its marketing and promotional efforts in favour of other volume-generating markets closer to home, said tourism minister Arief Yahya.
Speaking to the Daily, the minister sought to address concerns among the Indonesian trade and hotel industries, especially those handling European markets, that the government was not giving up on this longhaul sector.
Having looked at tourism statistics, Arief acknowledged that the European traveller’s average spend is twice that of other tourists.
He observed: “While the number of arrivals from Russia declined, arrivals from the rest of Europe increased with Germany growing 7.7 per cent last year.”
More flight access was also on the way, in a likely boost to inbound traffic from the continent.
“There is good news that Emirates is going to begin flying from Dubai to Bali in June, and that will open up connectivity not only with the Middle East but also to many European destinations,” he said. “(This adds to) Qatar Airways’ existing services linking Doha to Bali and Jakarta.”
“I believe that this will stimulate business into Indonesia and, with the market growing, Garuda Indonesia will also improve its network in Europe.”
He reassured the trade: “We will continue to participate at big events in Europe such as ITB Berlin, WTM London, and will also do sales missions.”
Participation at ITB Berlin last year was estimated to have materialised Rp3.9 trillion (US$300 million) worth of business for Indonesia, and Arief expects an increase of 10 per cent for this year.
At the ASEAN Tourism Forum in January this year, the minister had told TTG Asia that the ministry would allocate its promotional budget proportionately to its new goals.
Read the full story in TTG Asia-ITB Berlin 2015 Daily
