Tourism Expo Japan 2022, one of the world’s largest travel events, is being held at Tokyo Big Sight (Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo) for four days from September 22 to 25.
In East Hall 4, Indonesian hotels, tour companies, and Garuda Indonesia Airlines jointly operated the “Wonderful Indonesia” booth. Garuda Indonesia had just announced the resumption of its Narita – Denpasar (Bali) route, and was making a big show of this at the event.
During this meeting, we were able to speak with Mr. Raden Wisnu Sindhutrisno, Director General for Asia Pacific, Director General of Marketing, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia. DG Wisnu Sindhutrisno told us that he just took office about 10 days ago, and this was his first visit to Tokyo.
–Garuda Indonesia will reopen its Denpasar route on November 1.
DG Wisnu: It’s great and we are excited. We very much welcome the launch.
On April 6, VOA (Visa on arrival) issuance was resumed for foreigners from 43 countries including Japan, and the number of eligible countries has gradually increased since then, and regulations have been eased.
–Indonesia has many outlying islands, please tell us about domestic flights after arriving in Jakarta or Denpasar.
Director General Wisnu: Indonesia is now an open country, and foreign travelers who have received multiple doses of the vaccine are not required to take a PCR test when traveling on domestic flights, nor are they required to wear a mask on the plane. Incidentally, approximately 76% of the Indonesian population has already received the second dose of the vaccine, and the number of infected people is decreasing.
–Has the Corona Disaster changed the turnout of people working in the tourism industry?
Director General Wisnu: During the two years of the Corona Disaster, everything stopped and some people moved from tourism to other industries, but now we are back to receiving international travelers and tourists are returning to Bali, Jakarta and Yogyakarta. For these areas, we are able to provide the same service as before.
–Pre-Corona promotions were focused on developing new destinations outside of Bali and Jakarta. What is the situation going forward?
Director General Wisnu: First of all, Mandalika on Lombok Island, where an international circuit is opening in 2021, and we are focusing on sporting events, such as the MotoGP. Labuhan Bajo and Komodo Island are also operating as before.
Borobudur, a World Heritage site with Buddhist ruins, has long been concerned about the damage caused to the ruins by the increased number of visitors and currently does not allow visitors to go up to the top. In the future, we are considering the possibility of revising the entrance fee.
Likpan and Lake Toba are still being developed, but the facilities are open and welcoming tourists.
–In Japan, the lifting of the cap on the number of visitors, the lifting of the ban on visa-free travel, and the lifting of the ban on individual travel by foreign tourists will take effect on October 11.
DG Wisnu: I welcome the change in Japan’s policy on water border control. It will make it easier for Indonesians to travel to Japan and for those who have been to Indonesia to return to Japan. Japanese travelers have always been a large market for Indonesia, and we would like to support 2-way tourism.
–Thank you very much.
The current direct flight schedule from Japan to Indonesia is as follows.
© Source travel watch
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