The Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) in Indonesia has officially formed a state-owned holding company for aviation and tourism-related enterprises, in a bid to revive those pandemic-ravaged sectors.
Aviasi Wisata Indonesia (Aviata), the holding company, in this initial stage, consists of Angkasa Pura I and II airport authorities, Hotel Indonesia Natour, department store Sarinah, tourist attraction Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, as well as Prambanan and Ratu Boko temple parks.
According to BUMN secretary Susyanto, the Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation is set to become a holding member by the end of this year, while national airline Garuda Indonesia is expected to become a member in 2023, pending its restructuring process. “As such, the whole process (is expected) to be finalised in 2023,” he said.
Triawan Munaf and Dony Oskaria, two former Garuda Indonesia top brass, will serve as Aviata’s president commissioner and president director, respectively.
With the formation of Aviata, Endra Gunawan, acting assistant deputy for tourism and supporting services at the BUMN, expressed hope that the holding company could benefit tourism-related businesses.
“(Aviata) is an ecosystem to integrate various functions (to become) a driving force that will (create a) positive impact on the tourism industry,” he said in a written statement.
Aviata is mandated to carry out investment and management consulting activities in the transportation, tourism, retail and other sectors related to business activities. In the long-term, the holding company is expected to develop an integrated tourism strategy to boost international arrivals and make Indonesia a world-class tourism destination.
Endra explained that the mechanism for establishing a holding company was carried out through the transfer of state-owned Series B shares in five state-owned companies as an additional state equity participation to the share capital of Aviata.
Commenting on the formation of Aviata, Budijanto Ardiansjah, director of My Duta Tour, believed that the holding company will encourage tourism development and benefit the community, consumers, and other businesses.
“This establishment can make the development of tourism destinations and marketing more focused and integrated,” he said. “However, the government, through the state-owned holding company, needs to continue to collaborate with associations and other industry players, especially in terms of marketing, (to foster growth).”
Fully vaccinated travellers from Australia and Switzerland will be able to enter Singapore without quarantine from November 8, under the latest expansion of the city-state’s vaccinated travel lane (VTL) scheme.
For Australia, the VTL will facilitate two-way quarantine-free travel between the two countries for fully vaccinated Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).
CAAS said it expects student and business pass holders from Singapore to be able to enter Australia, after Australia has finalised the arrangement for their entry. “Other travellers from Singapore would not be able to travel to Australia until a later stage,” it added.
Australian prime minister Scott Morrison last week said that the country was in the final stages of concluding an arrangement which will see Australia opening up to more visa-class holders from Singapore, with details to be announced later.
CAAS noted that both Australia and Switzerland are in Category II of the Ministry of Health’s country/region classification for border measures, with similar or lower Covid-19 incidence rates than Singapore.
With the commencement of the VTLs for Australia and Switzerland, the current quota for the scheme will be increased from 3,000 to 4,000 travellers daily, said CAAS. “We will monitor the progress of the scheme closely before deciding on any further increases in capacity,” it added.
Under the VTL, fully vaccinated travellers from these countries may enter Singapore without quarantine and just need to undergo two Covid-19 PCR tests – one within 48 hours before departure and another upon arrival at Changi Airport. Children aged 12 years and below who are not vaccinated will be allowed to travel under the VTL into Singapore if they are accompanied by a traveller who meets all the requirements.
The VTL was launched on September 8 for Brunei and Germany, and was later extended to nine other countries – Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, the US, and South Korea.
CAAS said that the “successful implementation of the VTL scheme” has given it “the experience and confidence to extend it to more countries”. It added that it will continue to do so “in a cautious and step-by-step manner without compromising public health”.