PT Garuda Indonesia is providing 170,845 free domestic flight tickets to foreign tourists. This initiative is aimed at encouraging international visitors not to stop only in Bali or Jakarta, but to continue their journey to other destinations in Indonesia.
Prina Eka Putri, Marketing Group Head of Garuda Indonesia, said the programme is a stimulus to encourage international tourists to expand their travels. According to Prina, the programme is expected to extend tourists' length of stay, encourage visits to more regions, and increase spending in hotels, small and medium enterprises, and other tourism sectors.
Yudhistira Setiawan, Senior Vice President Corporate Secretary of InJourney, said the success of tourism cannot be measured solely by the number of tourists who arrive. According to Yudhistira, length of stay, the number of destinations visited, and the size of tourist spending are also important indicators. Data shows the average spending of tourists in the second quarter of 2024 reached approximately US$1,285 with an average length of stay of 10 nights.
Dedi Ahmad Kurnia, Deputy Assistant for Foreign Tourism Marketing I at the Ministry of Tourism, said the programme also targets Indonesia's main markets in Asia and Australia. From 11 Garuda routes, there are connections with main markets such as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Dedi added that tourist visits to Indonesia increased 5 per cent in the January-June period.
Prina mentioned that the figure of 170,845 tickets is also linked to the momentum of celebrating the 81st anniversary of Indonesian Independence. With this scheme, the occupancy of Garuda's international flights is expected to increase, with an initial target to boost the load factor from around 70 per cent to approximately 80 per cent.
