Whoosh Records Over 200,000 Foreign Passengers Since Operation Starts, Majority from Malaysia
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22 August 2024 19:44 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - General Manager Corporate Secretary of PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia Cina (KCIC), Eva Chairunisa, says more than 200,000 foreign nationals have boarded the Whoosh high-speed train since the beginning of its operation.
"Based on the data, Whoosh’s foreign passengers come from 154 countries," she said in an official statement, on Thursday, August 22, 2024.
KCIC notes that around 85,000 of these foreign passengers came from Malaysia. China followed with 45,000 passengers, while Singapore was a close third with 35,000 passengers. Japanese Whoosh passengers were in fourth place with 12,000 and Australia was the only non-Asian country in the top 5 with 11,000 passengers.
Based on the continent, Asia still takes the lead with a contribution of over 148,000 Whoosh passengers. Europe comes next with around 24,000 passengers, while North America records over 16,000 passengers, Oceania around 11,000, Africa with 1,000 passengers, and South America with around 900 passengers.
Eva believes the high number of passengers from Southeast Asia and Australia was proof that Whoosh has become a tourist magnet for the international communities around Indonesia.
"This achievement is a source of pride and proves that Whoosh has become one of the symbols of transportation modernization recognized by the international community," she said.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Travel Agent Association (Astindo) says Whoosh has helped promote Jakarta and Bandung to the Southeast Asian community thanks to its status as the first high-speed train project in the region.
Astindo Chairperson Pauline Suharno says there’s an increasing demand for a tour aboard the Whoosh high-speed train. The demand mostly comes from students and corporations.
"The existence of Whoosh is significantly helpful in promoting Jakarta as a tourism destination, especially for ASEAN countries. It’s because Indonesian, and Jakarta, is the first one to have a high-speed train among ASEAN countries,” Pauline said.
ILONA ESTHERINA
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