India is priority market
Consider revising your Indonesia itinerary as the country is currently in the process of developing 10 new destinations which can be as popular as Bali.
India ranks second for Indonesia in terms of priority markets after China, according to Dr R Sigit Witjaksono, Director of Tourism Marketing—South & Central Asia, Middle East and Africa, Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia. “The Indian tourist numbers to Indonesia were close to 500,000 in 2017 and approximately 600,000 in 2018. This year, we are targeting around 800,000 arrivals with the help and cooperation from all related stakeholders like tour operators, travel agents and airlines. We expect to achieve the target by participating in exhibitions and organising roadshows in different Indian cities,” he shared.
With many Indians already visiting Bali, Indonesia now wants to promote other destinations too. “We are in the process of developing 10 new destinations which can be as popular as Bali; for example, Lake Toba in North Sumatra—the only lake with a volcano inside. We also have the biggest Borobudur Buddhist temple in Jakarta and the Hindu Parmanand temple close to that area. Besides, there are Lombok, Komodo and other natural wonders,” he added. The connectivity between India and Indonesia has also been enhanced. According to Witjaksono, “Starting last year from April, we have Garuda to Denbasar three times a week. We have even started a new programme called Tourism Hub, where we try to utilise our hub, which is our neighbouring country. For example, Scoot more than 10 origin cities in India to Singapore. We try to attract Indian travellers from there with dual or twin destinations to visit Indonesia. For Indonesia, there are three main entries—40 per cent travellers come via Bali, 30 per cent from Jakarta and 20 per cent via Bintan. To promote all these destinations, we conduct Fam trips and sales missions.”