Indonesia says it needs to anticipate impacts of geopolitical tensions escalating in the Middle East on tourism visits by drawing more direct flights from countries outside Europe.
Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said “Since (flights from) Europe are likely to be affected by tensions in the Middle East, we need to narrow down our focus on flights that do not require passage through the region,” he told journalists in Jakarta on Sunday.
Jakarta aims to target more direct flights from Australia, India, and China to Indonesia to draw in more tourists to the country.
“We are preparing more direct flights from Australia, India, and China in the hopes of increasing the number of tourists since we can expect a decline in tourists visiting from Europe and America,” he pointed out.
Apart from geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, the minister also drew attention to the flood that hit Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, which has led to the cancellation of flights from there to Indonesia.
“Besides Mount Ruang’s eruption, we are facing threats from tensions in the Middle East, and not to mention economic slowdown. The government has mapped out all these potential risks. Based on our calculation, we can still achieve our targets with hard work,” he remarked.
