TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - AirAsia has opened a new route between Jakarta and Macau, promising to bring more tourists to Indonesia.
Upon the arrival of the first AirAsia plan from Macau at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandez said that Indonesia has a huge tourism potential and the direct international connectivity will boost foreign tourist arrivals in the country.
Indonesia AirAsia CEO Dendy Kurniawan said that the direct flight between Jakarta and Macau adds to the list of direct flights to the Jakarta which includes Jakarta-Bangkok, Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta-Penang and Jakarta-Singapore. “It’s the only direct flight from Indonesia to Macau,” he said.
Read: AirAsia Plans Buying China`s 919 Plane
Dendy said that the service will be operated three times a week by A320 plane with a capacity of 180 passengers. He expects the route to open a floodgate of tourists to Indonesia not only from Macau but also from its surrounding cities in China.
The opening of the new flight route will support the government’s target to attract 20 million tourists by 2020, according to Dendy.
Meanwhile, Tourism Ministry official I Gde Pitana said that 25 percent of total foreign tourists visiting Indonesia use AirAsia services.
Pitana said that the government will join hands with AirAsia to promote Indonesian tourism to India and China.
ANTARA