VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Familiarization trip to Bali for China's Travel Agencies - 

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Kemenparekraf/Baparekraf) is holding an introductory public tour activity or familiarization trip (famtrip) by inviting five journalists from the five most influential media in China which takes place in Bali from 26 June to 1 July 2023. 

The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy/Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Menparekraf/Kabaparekraf) Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno in his statement, Monday (3/7/2023), explained that the famtrip program this time was the result of cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and the Provincial Government of Bali which was focused on promoting the Bali destination as the most desirable tourist destination for the Chinese market.

"With various strategic steps taken with partners to promote Indonesia in general and Bali in particular, we hope that this program can contribute to the revival of our economy, create jobs, and open up the widest possible business opportunities for the tourism sector and Indonesia's creative economy said the Menparekraf.

Deputy for Marketing at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Ni Made Ayu Marthini, added that the five journalists who participated in this famtrip came from The Paper (Shanghai), People's Daily, The Beijing News, Nanfang Daily, and Chengdu Economic Daily.

"Not only designed to showcase Bali, this famtrip also offers journalists to experience the experience of traveling directly so they can convey better information to their readers or audience about Bali," said Made.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Monday, tourists from China have indeed become the main focus of the Indonesian tourism market since 2017.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, China was one of the countries with the largest contributor to tourist arrivals to Indonesia. From 2017 to 2019 around more than 2 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia.

The amount spent by tourists from China was also the largest before the pandemic.

Data shows the average length of stay (_length of stay_) of Chinese tourists in Indonesia ranges from 8 to 10.71 days, with an average spending per arrival (ASPA) reaching US$1,100 to 1,386.55. This figure is equivalent to European tourists who are famous for being extravagant when traveling.

To accelerate the recovery of Indonesian tourism and attract more tourists from China to the country, Ni Made stressed the importance of expanding direct connectivity.

"More direct flights will make it easier for Chinese tourists to travel to Indonesia. Therefore, we strongly encourage airline partners to reopen routes and meet passenger capacity, at least at pre-pandemic levels," Made added.

As of June 2023, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy recorded a total of 50 direct flight routes from 10 cities in China to Jakarta and Bali, with a total of 50 flight frequencies/week, operated by 8 airlines from China to Indonesia. So that the total seat capacity reaches 9,939 seats per week.

Tourism Marketing Director for the Asia Pacific Region of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Wisnu Sindhutrisno, said that in order to achieve the new target of 361,500 Chinese tourist visits this year and maintain Wonderful Indonesia, especially Bali, a collaborative marketing approach is needed by all stakeholders.

"Therefore Kemenparekraf is not only cooperating with the Government of Bali. This Famtrip is also supported by various partners, namely The Mulia, Mulia Resort & Villas - Nusa Dua Bali; China Southern Airlines; Garuda Indonesia; Atlas Beach Party; Hatten's grapes; and Krisna Souvenirs," said Wisnu.

The famtrip participants were invited to visit some of the “Top 10 most popular Points of Interest (POI) in Bali for Chinese tourists” according to leading Chinese online travel agents (OTAs) such as Trip.com and Tuniu.com. Among them are Uluwatu, Jimbaran, Bali Swing Ubud, and Puri Saren Agung.

During the trip, participants also had unforgettable flying experiences with China Southern Airlines and Garuda Indonesia, which have continued direct flight routes from China to Indonesia//VOI