Indonesian flight procedures and rules ought to be obeyed by all airlines to help the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy's target of reaching 3.5 million - 7.4 million foreign tourists in 2023, and travels of 1.2 billion - 1.4 billion domestic holiday makers in the country.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno called on all airlines, both national and international, to always comply with procedures and rules prevailing in the country to ensure the safety of all, especially tourists.

The minister made the remarks at 'The Weekly Brief with Sandi Uno' on Monday (Jan. 2) regarding an internal miscommunication at the Jetstar Melbourne headquarters, Australia, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy said in a statement received here, Tuesday.

Flight JQ35 from Melbourne to Denpasar, Bali, on Dec. 27, 2022, was required to return to base because it departed without the flight approval needed to arrive in Denpasar.

Currently Jetstar is thoroughly reviewing the issue and expected to apply the procedures to prevent this from happening again, Sandiaga said.

"The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy also reminds airlines to comply with the prevailing procedures and rules. Regulations must be enforced for the sake of our safety," he added.

If all the Indonesian flight procedures are complied with by all airlines, they are expected to assist the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy's target of achieving 3.5 million - 7.4 million foreign tourists in 2023 and travels of 1.2 billion - 1.4 billion domestic holiday makers in the country.

"And Bali as one of the leading destinations in Indonesia is expected to support this target with four million foreign tourist visits in 2023," Sandiaga pointed out.

In addition, the minister said Indonesia is ready to welcome foreign tourists, including those from China, because the COVID-19 pandemic situation has been under control, and the level of immunity of the Indonesian people has reached above 98 percent.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Friday (Dec. 30) last week officially lifted the policy on the implementation of community activities restrictions.

Thus, the Chinese government's policy on opening borders for tourists on Jan. 8, 2023, was positively welcomed by Minister Sandiaga accompanied by implementing the protocol of CHSE (Cleanliness, Health, Safety, Environment Sustainability).

Until now, the Indonesian government is still enforcing the circular on the task force for handling COVID-19 number 25 dated September 1, 2022 for arrangements of foreign travelers, but relevant ministries/agencies are still coordinating to formulate the best policy.

There have been several requests from international Chinese airlines to open direct flights to Jakarta and Bali, such as Air China, China Eastern and China Southern, he said, expecting national airlines such as Garuda, Lion Air and Batik Air to fulfill the demands for direct flights.

These expected direct flights would make it easier for Chinese tourists who come to Indonesia, because usually they who want to go to Bali go through Singapore first, then via Soekarno Hatta Airport use domestic flights to I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali.

According to data from the Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the number of visits by foreign tourists from China and Hong Kong only reached 94,924 in the January - October 2022 period.

This number is still relatively small when compared to that before the pandemic which touched 2.07 million visits by foreign tourists from China in 2019.

"Therefore, we are very confident that the target of 253,000 Chinese tourists this year (2023) can be achieved," said Sandiaga who is also Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency.

Reporting by Indonesia Window