In a bid to expand the Indonesian visitor profile and extend the market’s length of stay, the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) conducted Nusuk Indonesia Roadshow, a series of events to promote destinations beyond well-known Mecca and Madinah, in Jakarta last week.
Saudi Arabia recorded 1.5 million arrivals from Indonesia in 2023, which was 36 per cent higher than a year before. For 2024, the target is set at 2.2 million.
Alhasan Aldabbagh, STA president for Asia-Pacific markets, told TTG Asia: “We’re trying to position Saudi Arabia as a holiday destination. We believe we can lure Indonesian travellers to other cities like Riyadh, Jeddah, and AlUla after they perform Umrah (an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca). Also, we are targeting families to spend their holidays in our country.
“There are many leisure activities travellers can do in those cities.There are many festivals and sporting events, particularly in Riyadh, that travellers can join in. In fact, there are more events in Saudi than in Las Vegas.”
The Jakarta roadshow comprised a trade presentation and B2B tabletop meetings, where 43 Saudi Arabian travel-related companies met with some 1,000 Indonesian travel companies specialising in pilgrimages and outbound travel agents from different parts of Indonesia.
STA also had a consumer-led activation under the Visit Saudi, beyond Umrah campaign. This was a five-day consumer travel exhibition and fair at a major shopping mall. Seven Indonesian travel-related companies participated in it.
To facilitate travel, Saudi has streamlined its visa policy for Indonesian passport-holders. They can apply for a visa at VFS Tasheer offices, while those holding a valid US, UK or Schengen visa can apply for an e-visa.
“We have also introduced a 96-hour (free) transit visa for travellers on Saudi Arabian Airlines,” he added.
Meanwhile, visas for Umrah are also improved. Now, it is obtainable though the Nusuk App with an increased validity from 30 days to 90 days to allow travellers to explore the country after their religious programme.
A special arrangement was also made available during the travel fair where visitors could apply for a visa using only a credit card; the visa was issued within 24 hours.
When asked about accessibility, Aldabbagh said are currently 83 direct flights between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, and his target was to grow that figure to 202 by the end of 2024.
“We are cooperating with a number of airlines, including Lion Air and Garuda Indonesia, especially to connect Saudi Arabia with cities outside Jakarta. We want more flights from Surabaya, Medan, Makassar, and others,” Aldabbagh said.
To further attract Indonesians, more events will be organised to engage with Indonesia’s outbound travel players.
