Indonesia’s Minister for Tourism and Creative Economies, Sandiaga Uno, has been speaking with reporters throughout the week from the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta.
Minster Uno has revealed that more international flights to Indonesia will be launched in the near future, including to the country’s flagship tourism destination Bali.
Speaking to the media, Minister Uno shared “There is also interest from the United Arab Emirates in increasing the number of flights to Indonesia, not only through the existing airline Emirates, but also the airline Air Arabia.”
He added, “Korea also expressed its desire to increase the number of flights to Indonesia.”
This increased connectivity is great news for holidaymakers and travelers planning their visits to Bali.
The more international flight options there are for tourists heading to Bali, the more options long-haul travelers have when it comes to where to take their layover flight.
Travelers from most of Europe and North America have to take a layover on their journey to Bali, and so with more flights from the Middle East and East Asia on the cards, there is plenty for long-haul travelers to get excited about.
The increased connectivity is also great news for backpackers, digital nomads, and long-term adventurers. Connecting Bali to even more of the world means that nomads have even more choices as to where they want to explore next.
Minister Uno added “I invite more direct flights to Indonesia, not only as the center of ASEAN, Jakarta, and Bali. But also other destinations that are ready to receive direct flights, such as Jogjakarta.”
In fact, Minster Uno wants to see tourists explore more of Indonesia than just Bali.
While the Island of the Gods will remain the flagship destination for many years to come, tourists must know that traveling around Indonesia and experiencing more of what the country has to offer is easy to arrange and more affordable than they might first think.
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Minister Uno explained that he wants to see more spiritual and religious tourism across Indonesia and its ASEAN neighbors.
Of course, there is a wealth of spiritual exploration to discover in Bali, from temples to sacred natural landmarks, yoga and wellness facilities, and plenty of spas.
For those interested in exploring faith, spirituality, and religion around the world, Bali is a great starting point.
As Minster Uno has suggested, the Island of the Gods is a gateway to the deeply spiritual nature of the archipelago and South East Asia as a whole.
He said he wants to see more development in religious tourism connecting Indonesia and Laos. Destinations like Bali, Yogjakarta, and Vientiane provide a backdrop for a life-changing trip in South East Asia.
Minister Uno said, “We are trying to see direct flights from Vientiane and Luang Prabang to Yogjakarta, and vice versa. Because this is a religious tour that connects historical sites and temples like Borobudur, which has a lot of devotees.”
Currently, there are no direct flights from Bali or Yogjakarta to Laos, but there are multiple flights daily from Denpasar to Yogjakarta.
The newest international flight to be added to Indonesia’s national flight schedule is the direct Jakarta-Hanoi route offered by VietJet.
Minister Uno said that he hopes more airlines will follow VietJet’s mission to improve connectivity to key tourism destinations around ASEAN nations.
Demand for travel to Bali from the Middle East continues to grow. Earlier this year, Bali welcomed the inaugural flight of the Emirates A380 from Dubai.
The world’s largest commercial aircraft is now landing daily on the Island of the Gods, a sure sign that interest from the Gulf nations continues to grow.
As Minister Uno mentioned in this press speech, Air Arabia is showing interest in developing low-cost flight services to Indonesia.
Currently, the airline flies to fifty counties around the world and is clearly broadening its offering in Asia as the company will launch a new service from Abu Dhabi to the Sri Lankan capital Colombo three times weekly as of January 2024.
Source: The Bali Sun