More Garuda flights, new tourist office to follow boom in business and holiday travel to Indonesia

Business and holiday travel to Indonesia is growing so strongly that the Republic plans to reopen its tourist office in Sydney this year as Garuda Indonesia expands its Australian flight capacity by approximately 20 per cent.

The news emerged at the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo (AIME) in Melbourne, where a record 815 exhibitors from 50 countries showcased their country's product to business buyers worldwide on February 22 and 23.

Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism Deputy Minister of Marketing,  Mr Udin Saifuddin, said business and private travel to Indonesia from Australia had risen to more than 420,000 last year as overall arrivals surged past five million and tourism became the country's second largest earner after oil and gas.

He says Indonesia is targeting 500,000 visitors from Australia this year and will reopen its tourist office here after the middle of the year as part of an expansion which will also see new offices in Japan and China.

Garuda Indonesia Regional Manager for Australia, New Zealand and the US Mr Iriansyah Antemas said the new Sydney office (initially an outsourced operation) will help Indonesia capitalise on booming interest in Bali in particular and expanding interest in Indonesia in general.

"Demand is being driven by the quality and diversity of business and holiday product available in Indonesia as well as value among the best in the world (with the Australian currency worth four times what it was 20 years ago: $A1 now converts to well over 6,500 rupiah, Vs 1000-1500 20 years ago)."

Mr Iriansyah said Garuda Indonesia would announce detailed plans in the first half of this year to expand its capacity from Australia by approximately 20 per cent to cater for holiday and business travel.

The Indonesia National carrier already offers the greatest frequency of flights to Bali from Australia (24 weekly from Australia, with another two from Auckland via Brisbane). It is the only airline to offer business class ? termed Executive Class - from all its ports.   

New aircraft will supplement Garuda Indonesia's existing fleet for Australia, which already includes modern Airbus A330s flying from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Auckland and shorter-haul Boeing 737s from Darwin and Perth. The Perth market ? which shared a major role in the huge Australian growth in travel to Bali over the past year - will get the latest, largest and most comfortable Boeing 737 800 aircraft to complement its existing modern fleet, said Mr Iriansyah.

More than 50 Indonesian organisations were represented at AIME, with Garuda Indonesia supporting the effort by offering concessional travel arrangements to exhibitors and working closely with organisations such the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Consulate General and the Jakarta Convention Bureau.

Mr Iriansyah said that, in addition to the outstanding holiday and convention facilities available in Bali, major investments were being made by Indonesia in new convention and infrastructure projects throughout the Republic.

"While the great bulk of Australian business and incentive travel currently focuses  on Bali, we expect this to spread to other areas as the benefits are felt from improvements such as 90 large infrastructure investments now being made by Indonesia and very positive relationships between Indonesia and Australasia," said Mr Iriansyah.   

Garuda Indonesia's award-winning Executive Class is attracting business travellers who are not only using Bali as a convenient Asian travel hub, but also as an opportunity to combine business with luxurious pleasure.

Even the most luxurious hotels in Bali offer outstanding value by world standards, says Mr Iriansyah,  with a number of them featuring in packages deals in Garuda Indonesia's Bali on ANY budget travel guide (available through travel agents and the complementary BOAB website www.balionanybudget.com.au).