To meet the cap in 2009 and 2010 open

Diplomacy for Aviation to generate markets and businesses

Indonesia in ASEAN

The visit of foreign tourists to Indonesia in January until September 2009 reached a cumulative 4,619,483 people or 1.07% growth compared to the same period in 2008 which was 4,570,492 people. Certainly the targets 6.5 million tourists for 2009 would be achieved given the usual month of December is always increased more higher than previous months. In contrast the number of passengers on flights during the January-September 2009 from Indonesia to the outside country increased the amount to 6.78 percent compared to 5.7 million the same period the previous year.

What is the ratio between income and the balance of foreign exchange
resulted from the expenditure of foreign tourists to the “loss” of spending by
Indonesia tourists to abroad, by the Secretary General of the Department of Culture and Tourism is described like this: (in million U.S. dollars)
YEAR                 INFLOWS      OUTFLOWS         NET
2004                  4.798                 3507                  1291
2005                  4.522                 3584                  938
2006                  4.448                 4030                  418
2007                  5.346                 4904                  442
2008                  7.374                 5397                  1977
2009 (Q.1)          1422                  1101                  321

The results of foreign exchange from visiting foreign tourists has been based on the calculation made by Bank of Indonesia, and expenses on “outflows” mentioned above was based on processed data from the outbound traveler survey conducted by the Culture and Tourism Department each year.

During the year 2009, the number of cumulative addition of scheduled flights that connect destinations in Indonesia and abroad, which is a source of foreign tourists, has been  relatively small. But still worth grateful for the addition of such opening and the addition of some flight frequency from Malaysia and Singapore and Australia to Java and Bali. In next month December Dutch airline KLM will open a direct flight back to Denpasar, Bali.

The travel agents and tour operators and local government as well as the business community should pay attention on what Mandala Airlines, presently show preparation to fly abroad. It has reported plans to start flying to ASEAN and the flight to Australia next year, and is currently negotiate for the possibility of cooperation with several airlines. Among other it said like Tiger Airways, Whizz (Hungary), and Spirit (U.S.),
and will use Airbus 320 aircraft.

Almost certainly will do, Garuda Indonesia is planning to reopen flight to Amsterdam, Europe, at beginning of half second in 2010.

Business to anticipate the 2010

Compared with movements of tourism in some ASEAN countries for the year 2009, Indonesia’s competitiveness is not only as a matter fact still far behind measured by 14 factors used as measuring internationally. But more than that, from the point of business praxis based on the fact of the number of foreign visitor arrival, has been due to mainly shortage in the field of air transport accessibility.

The situation is reflected by the facts to include the followings: there are 72 bilateral air agreement signed by the government but about 50% of  those are operational; total seat capacity on international flights serving Indonesia a year about 13 million, compared to Singapore 60 million, Malaysia and Thailand 50 million and 40 million respectively.

During the year 2009, there have been dynamic aviation growth driven from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, and Cambodia. Tourism agencies in each country and the “Travel trade”, looked busy and successful in attracting foreign airlines to operate. In addition to bilaterally aviation development between the countries’ nearest neighbors, also to regional distances that have a great potential on “outbound” foreign namely Japan, China and India. Moreover, those  opened in addition to scheduled flight, also charter flight as an “emergency steps” to overcome the impact of the crisis: the crisis global economy, the virus H1N1, changes in the pattern of long haul travel to medium and short haul.

There’s another advantage. The tendency has been by opening flights to the routes from abroad – foreign tourists markets, directly to destinations in the region – provincial areas. So, they not only limited to the main entrance capital.

One example among dozens, we refer to: Tiger Airways to start return flights four times weekly on Singapore-Krabi with Airbus 320, and opening new routes Singapore-Hat Yai three times a week. Krabi and Hat Yai are provincial cities far from the capital city of Bangkok.
Start-up airline called Happy Air, began flights once week on Phuket-Hat Yai, and the same airline too opened Hat Yai-Phuket and Langkawi. actually since May. Another Firefly start daily flights between Kuala Lumpur and Phuket. And soon will launch flights on Kuala Lumpur-Hat Yai. Langkawai is a province far from the capital Kuala Lumpur.

From this perspective it is practically impossible that number of foreign visitors to Indonesia would reach 10 million per year, considering the capacity of total number of flight would remain 13 million seats a year.

During international traditional peak season in July, August and December, in several national and foreign airlines used to add ‘extra-flight’, so it is not charter flight, but generally just to bring tourists from Indonesia to travel as “outbound traveler”. Almost neither otherwise.

Plus some other facts, symptoms of reluctance from foreign airlines as well as the national carrier flight operations to operate regional or international flights to Indonesia, does not change for at least the last 10 years.

This exposes us to one of the challenges of entering the year 2010 and onwards. Diplomacy of the government to overseas, plus an initiative of the governments in destination areas, with a mix of movement of the “Travel trade people”, and so on-needed dynamic efforts in order to be able to attract more foreign airlines operating to Indonesia. Yes, like it or not, it is necessary to follow suit. Without it, I think we will be “so – just this “.===