Bengaluru: The latest study by the Indonesian tourism ministry shows that between January and May 2017, there were 1,83,558 Indian visits to Indonesia, which is an increase of more than 20% in comparison to the same period last year.
“The affordable travel packages attract Indian tourists more. From destination weddings to weekend gateways, Indonesia is becoming one of the preferred holiday destinations for Indian tourists,” said Mr Saut Siringoringo, the consul general of consulate general of the Republic of Indonesia. The Indonesian Tourism Ministry on Wednesday held a business meeting between Indonesian sellers and Indian buyers to promote Indonesian tourism in the city. Talking on the sidelines, Mr Siringoringo said that tourism is the top fourth contributor to Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP).
“We aim to make tourism the number one contributor to our nation’s GDP by 2020,” he said. The increasing number of Indians travelling to Indonesia has also resulted in more airlines connecting both the countries. After Garuda Indonesia started operating from Mumbai to Jakarta in December 2016, Indonesia AirAsia also followed suit, opening the air route from Mumbai to Denpasar (Bali) in May 2017. Batik Air began operating between Chennai and Denpasar in July 2017 as well. “The tourism ministry expects more airlines to follow the move by Garuda Indonesia, AirAsia and Batik Air to open air route to connect India and Indonesia,” said Mr I Gde Pitana, the deputy minister for international tourism development of Indonesia. The country will also promote destinations beyond Bali, which include Lake Toba, Tanjung Kelayang, Tenjung Lesung, Seribu Islands, the Borobudur, Bromo-Tengger-Semeru cluster, Mandalika, Labuan Bajo, Wakatobi and Morotai.
