Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia, hosted a sales mission and consumer selling promotion in New Delhi from December 13- 21. H.E Sidharto Suryodipuro, ambassador of Indonesia to India, who was present at the event, informed on the new addition of direct flights to Bali. He said, “There are total of 28 flights flying between Indonesia and India. Garuda Airlines, the national carrier of Indonesia will be starting a direct flight connecting Mumbai and Bali starting March 2018. This will not only boost growth between the two cities but also add more convenient options for travellers. Because of the growth we feel that Indian carriers should also come forward and start direct connection to Indonesia.”
Confirming the news, Pradeep Chauhan, assistant general manager, Garuda Indonesia, informed, “Due to increasing demand between the two countries, Garuda has planned to launch a direct flight connecting Depansar Bali to Mumbai. It will be thrice a week and flying directly into Bali as it is the most talked about destination in Indonesia. We will be using a wide body aircraft which won’t need refueling, eliminating a stopover possibility.”
Speaking on the growth recorded this year, the ambassador, added, “The initial projection of the year was to reach 475,000 Indian visitor arrivals but due to the volcano disaster, there has been a slight downfall. However, it was short lived and we are again seeing an increase in numbers from across the world. We assure that Bali is safe and the effect is only in limited areas.”
The sales mission saw many come in for more information on unseen locations. Sanjay Sondhi, CEO, OM Tourism, which represents Indonesia in India made a special presentation on some unique locations which can be added to the itineraries. He talked about places like Danau Toba, Moratai; Tanjung Kelayang, South of Sumatra; Morotai, North Maluki and many others which are still uncovered by the Indian travellers.