JAKARTA (ANTARA) – Demand from Australian tourists to visit Bali is very high, Minister of Tourism and Creative Industries Sandiaga Uno noted in an official statement on Tuesday.
This is aided by the easing of most travel restrictions, improved implementation of health and safety standards, new tourism product offerings and increasing efforts to reinforce the uniqueness of Bali’s culture.
“The Department for Tourism and Creative Economy is committed to maximizing the potential of Australian tourists to drive economic recovery,” he noted.
The Department aims to increase Australian tourist visits by allowing 18 hotel and resort industry players to undertake a sales mission to Australia from 22-25 August 2022.
The sales mission, themed #itsTimeforBali and Explore Beyond Bali, includes a range of activities including face-to-face business meetings, table meetings and sales pitches in two cities, Melbourne and Sydney.
During the table meeting, Indonesian tourism stakeholders made presentations and developed a network of 150 agents and retailers from four major wholesalers in Australia: Flight Centre, Helloworld, Bali Tours and Hoot Holidays.
In addition, the ministry is taking the opportunity to network with other key industry players including Luxury Escapes and Ignite Holidays, mass customers such as Flight Center and airlines Virgin Australia and Garuda Indonesia.
“This activity is carried out with the mission of strengthening the Wonderful Indonesia brand to be remembered in the minds of tourists around the world, especially in the Australian market,” the minister explained.
While Bali is still firmly entrenched in tourists’ minds, he noted that Indonesia has other stunning travel destinations, such as natural beauty and culture in five top-priority tourism destinations.
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These destinations include Borobudur in Central Java, Likupang in North Sulawesi, Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara, Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara and Lake Toba in North Sumatra.
In addition, the ministry is capitalizing on the momentum of Indonesian tourism revival by introducing three additional destinations into Australian tourists’ Bali vacation itinerary, including Labuan Bajo, Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara and Borobudur.
In 2019, a total of 1.4 million tourists from Australia visited Indonesia and 1.2 million of them, or around 85 percent, traveled to Bali.
Since the reopening of international travel in March 2022, the number of Australian tourists visiting Indonesia has continued to increase significantly, reaching 118,347 visitors in the period from January to June 2022.
“This sales mission is expected to attract 3.6 million tourists with income equivalent to US$1.7 billion,” Uno noted.
Related News: Around 1.4 million Australian tourists visit Indonesia: Minister Uno
