TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State-run airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II) recorded the passenger movement for tourism purposes only reached 10-15 percent. The data was obtained after several regional governments reopened tourist sites for domestic travelers, such as Bali and Labuan Bajo.

“So 85-90 percent passenger traffic is still dominated by travel for business or official purposes,” said the CEO Muhammad Awaluddin in an online discussion on Wednesday, August 12.

Awaluddin said the aviation industry was still focusing on the campaign of safe and convenient travel during the pandemic in a bid to boost the public interest.

Despite the low traffic for travel, he said the passenger growth in 19 airports managed by AP II showed positive sentiment following the relaxation of the PSBB or large-scale social restriction.

In general, the passenger movement on August 1-10 jumped 46 percent month-on-month, while the airport utilization reached 40-42 percent, far above that of last May at only 20 percent.

The July 2020 passenger traffic at 19 airports was recorded at 1 million people, Awaluddin added. The direct cash circulation for the ticket purchase, shopping at tenants, up to land transportation access was valued up to Rp1.9 trillion.

“As the restriction on passenger movement ended on June 7, people started to travel until now. The figure is far better than in May,” he said.

Awaluddin believed that by the end of the year, the passenger movement could hit up to 39 million tourists. “This is the best scenario. We are still optimistic about this. While for the bad scenario, it is only 351,000 people,” he said.

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FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA