Bali as a Stepping Stone to Growing Indonesian Tourism

(4/27/2012)

Bisnis Bali quotes Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and the Creative Economy, Mari Elka Pangestu, as calling on Bali to become the gateway for Indonesian national tourism, particularly as the launching point for the development of the tourism industry in eastern Indonesia.

The Minister said tourism operators in Bali are obliged to offer travel packages to Bali and Beyond including destinations in East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and other eastern regions of the archipelago. Pangestu asked that these travel packages be offered to tourists hailing from Singapore, Malaysia, China, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Russia.

Continuing, the Minister called on the travel industry in the promotion of Bali and Beyond packages to create and sell packages incorporating history, culture, culinary experiences, shopping, sports, cruise tourism, spa/wellness and MICE (meetings, incentive, conference and exhibitions).

Mari Elka Pangestu added that the arrival of foreign tourist to Bali is dependent on flights and the carrying capacity of Bali’s airport. As a result, she is coordinating with the Ministry of Transportation to facilitate more flights to Bali. In the future, she will work for direct flights to Bali from India and Russia.