Indonesia's tourism is expected to attract more tourists from New Zealand. Data before the pandemic show that the average length of stay for New Zealand visitors was around 10.13 days and the average spending per visit reached 1,376 U.S. dollars.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy in collaboration with Air New Zealand is holding an introductory tour activity for stakeholders to promote Indonesia's tourism and creative economy to the New Zealand market.

The Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, in his statement, in Jakarta, Thursday (March 27), explained that this collaboration program was established to welcome the re-operation of the Auckland - Denpasar route by Air New Zealand after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are targeting to increase the number and quality of foreign tourists, while respecting the local community, increasing the length of stay, exploring destinations, and encouraging more spending," Minister Sandiaga, who is also Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency, said.

The New Zealand market has potential for Indonesia's tourism, which is shown by data before the pandemic that the average length of stay for New Zealand tourists was around 10.13 days and the average spending per visit reached 1,376 U.S. dollars.

This figure is equivalent to that of European tourists who are famous for spending lavishly while traveling.

The Deputy for Marketing at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Ni Made Ayu Marthini, hoped that in the next phase, New Zealand tourists would not only stop in Bali.

"Through the 'Bali Add-on' campaign, we also invite all tourists to add other island destinations on their next visits, such as Labuan Bajo (East Nusa Tenggara province), Mandalika and Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara province) as well as Borobudur (Central Java province), which are relatively close to Bali in proximity," Ni Made said.

This is a follow-up to Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s directive to promote the country’s five super priority destinations to the foreign and domestic tourist markets.

Ni Made also emphasized the importance of the connectivity aspect for the recovery of Indonesia's tourism.

“The demand to Indonesia is increasing rapidly. And we are working with foreign airline partners such as Air New Zealand to reopen routes and meet the passenger occupancy rate at least to a level of pre-pandemic time," Ni Made noted.

Meanwhile, Air New Zealand's Chief Customer and Sales Officer, Leanne Geraghty said Bali is a suitable destination for various types of tourists, whether they are looking for the warmth of tropical beaches, families who want adventure or couples who want a romantic and peaceful atmosphere.

"Bali is one of the most popular routes, with more than 17 thousand tourists flying to Denpasar in 2019. We are very pleased to be able to reconnect Kiwis (New Zealanders) with this top holiday destination, which is the last international seasonal route we are operating again in post-pandemic time," Leanne said.

The collaboration program themed 'Wellness & Sustainability' consists of three major media outlets in New Zealand, namely New Zealand Herald, Stuff, Newshub and one in-house media for Air New Zealand airline, namely Kia Ora Magazine.

The activity which took place on March 29 – April 2, 2023 was packaged in thematic tourism activities to provide first-hand experiences from different post-pandemic Bali destinations.

In this introductory tour program, the participants were taken on a waste tour and a wellness experience, starting from yoga classes, making herbal medicine, to sound healing at Potato Head Village.

In addition, they were also taken to explore the Bangli area with the Tukad Cepung Waterfall which is known to be very photogenic as its main destination.

Then, visiting Bali is incomplete without experiencing its cultural touch. Therefore, the participants were invited to trace the life cycle of the Balinese from birth to death with various traditional rituals and ceremonies at the Samsara Living Museum, Karangasem district.

In terms of cultural performance that is no less interesting is the Kecak dance against the backdrop of the sunset at the Uluwatu tourist site.

There is also a cooking class activity, as an effort to support the Indonesia Spice Up The World program, in the hope that through this activity exposure to spices and Indonesian gastronomy would get highlights in the writings, articles, or news produced by the participants as a form of counter-achievement for participating in this collaborative program.

To make this counter-achievement be optimal, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy seeks to ensure that all participants feel comfortable and get the best service typical of Indonesia, especially Bali.

This journey which is full of pleasant experiences will be closed perfectly through the best spa treatments, as well as the experience of staying at classy accommodation, Alila Manggis Karangasem with enchanting natural panoramas.

The re-operation of the Auckland - Denpasar (PP) route itself will use the flight code NZ 64/NZ 65 with a fleet of 787-9 Dreamliner wide body aircraft with a capacity of 302 seats which will start operating for the first time on March 29, 2023 until this seasonal route ends on October 27, 2023.

The frequency of flights is three times a week on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and the estimated arrival time in Denpasar is at 4.20 p.m. local time and departure is at 5.30 p.m. local time.

Reporting by Indonesia Window