he Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry aims to attract 1.5 million tourists from China this year, around double last year’s figure.
“International flights to Indonesia are key to increasing the number of international tourists to the country, especially airlines from mainland China and the Macao Special Administrative Region that have [reopened] several direct flights to Indonesia from 2023 to 2024,” said East Asian Tourism Marketing head Adila Chaerman of the ministry’s Regional Marketing Bureau, as quoted by Antara on Friday.
Among the 12 Chinese airliners that have reopened direct flights to Indonesia are China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, Xiamen Airlines and Air Macau.
The direct routes are expected to transport more than 1 million visitors from the world’s second-largest economy to several Indonesian cities and regions with direct flight routes, including Jakarta, Bali and North Sulawesi capital Manado.
In its bid to attract Chinese tourists to Indonesian destinations, Adila said the ministry was prioritizing the tourism industry’s “crown jewels”, such as Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara, Borobudur Temple in Yogyakarta, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara and Likupang in North Sulawesi.
Besides promoting the country’s top tourist destinations, the government also plans to open promotional booths at the 12th Macao International Travel Expo next month and visit China to promote Indonesian tourism to prospective travel agents there.
Every Monday
Family holiday packages and honeymoon packages are highly popular options among international travelers to Indonesia.
The country saw a gradual recovery in Chinese tourist arrivals after COVID-19 restrictions were fully lifted, with a record 788,000 Chinese tourists in 2023, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).
China continues to rank among the largest contributors of foreign tourists to Indonesia, where most Chinese tourists prefer to visit Jakarta and Bali, often staying for a longer period than visitors from other countries.
