Indonesia to resume international routes this month

Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno. (Photo: Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy)

Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia will resume international flight routes from New Zealand, Cambodia and Malaysia this month, according to Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno.

The reopening of New Zealand-Indonesia flight route will have a positive impact on the country’s tourism and creative economy, he said at a press conference on April 4.

New Zealand tourists spend a lot and stay longer, with their length of stay reaching 10.3 days and average spending reaching 1,376 USD per person, which is equivalent to that of European tourists, he was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

With the reopening of its Auckland-Denpasar route, Air New Zealand will operate flights thrice a week, every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, and carry 255 passengers per flight.

Indonesia aims to attract 150,000 of New Zealanders to Indonesia in the next two to three years.

Uno revealed that several international flight routes to Indonesia will be opened, including Air Asia's Jakarta-Phnom Penh route (from April 19) and Trans Nusa's Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur route (from April 14).

Direct flights between Indonesia and India are also being planned this year, he said.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the number of foreign tourists to Indonesia doubled in 2022 as compared to the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Most of the foreign tourists in Indonesia came from neighbouring countries, such as Malaysia, Timor Leste, Australia, and Singapore.

Indonesia is targeting a revenue of 7.5 billion USD from national tourism this year./.