RENDEZVOUS TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: Indonesia has long established itself as one of the most popular Asian destinations for Middle Eastern travellers. How have guest numbers from the region grown over the past years? NIA NISCAYA: International tourists from the Middle East increased 35.02 percent from 98,270 in 2012 to 132,679 in 2013, [and the figures have grown] 53.53 percent until this April. The main reason behind this growth is the increased seat capacity from Saudi Arabian Airlines and flynas from the total of 1,789,528 seats in 2011-2014 to 2,031,276 seats today with direct services between Jakarta and Jeddah. Furthermore, another reason is Indonesia’s mild weather and splash of green view, especially in the mountain area. Also, Indonesia and MENA countries have similar culture and religion, so it is suitable for tourists from the MENA area and they love it.
Q & A with Nia Niscaya
DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION, MINISTRY OF TOURISM AND CREATIVE ECONOMY, INDONESIA
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: What makes the MENA region a key market for Indonesia? NIA NISCAYA: The high growth rate of tourist arrivals, good connectivity between Indonesia and MENA and the type of travellers from MENA countries, who are considered high spending visitors who usually travel with their families, make MENA an important market for the country. Indonesia’s tourism product is perfectly convenient and suitable for these travellers.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: What other aspects make Indonesia an attractive destination for Arab holidaymakers and businessmen? NIA NISCAYA: Indonesia offers many excellent opportunities. Besides, it is rich in nature and culture and 90 percent of Indonesians are Muslims. Indonesia possesses conditions that make it a convenient destination for Muslim travellers. Muslim-friendly facilities such as Halal food restaurants, apartment hotel services, Qibla and Istinja facilities are easy to find. Also, most of Indonesia’s tourism products and destinations are Sharia-compliant. Indonesia also provides a modern lifestyle with shopping centres and outlets of famous international lifestyle brands. Furthermore golf facilities, family entertainment and MICE facilities are also available in Jakarta, Medan, Bandung, Bali, Surabaya, and in other destinations. TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: The tourism board has recently revealed plans to attract some 214,000 visitors from the Middle East. What kind of initiatives are being implemented in order to lure more guests from the region? NIA NISCAYA: Our country’s main targets in the MENA region are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain, while Qatar and Kuwait are our potential markets. In fact, 26 JULY 2014
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OUR COUNTRY’S MAIN TARGETS IN THE MENA REGION ARE SAUDI ARABIA, THE UAE, EGYPT AND BAHRAIN
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: Please tell us about the tourism ministry’s main activities for the current year.
INDONESIA REAPED SOME USD10.1 BILLION IN FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNINGS FROM 8.8 MILLION OVERSEAS TOURISTS IN 2013. HERE, NIA NISCAYA, DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION, MINISTRY OF TOURISM AND CREATIVE ECONOMY, INDONESIA, TALKS ABOUT THE MENA MARKET’S INCREASING IMPORTANCE. we have started tapping into Qatar and Kuwait in 2010 and 2012 respectively. We have a grand marketing strategy, namely 16-16-7. It consists of 16 focus market countries, including the Middle East and 16 priority destination areas beyond Bali […]. The number seven represents our seven primary products namely culture and heritage, nature and ecotourism, culinary and shopping, health and wellness, sport and recreation, MICE and cruise tourism.
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INDONESIA POSSESSES CONDITIONS THAT MAKE IT A CONVENIENT DESTINATION FOR MUSLIM TRAVELLERS
NIA NISCAYA: We promote Indonesian tourism through several activities, and we also participated in the annual Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. We also try to organise regular sales missions to Saudi Arabia’s three key cities, and we are planning to expand our activities to also to Riyadh and Dammam. Our main theme for the current year is MICE. In fact, Indonesia has a host of world-class MICE related events, including a World Trade Organization meeting, as well as gatherings for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation officials. TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: How popular is the MENA region among Indonesian travellers? NIA NISCAYA: Over the years, the number of Indonesian travellers visiting MENA countries has been growing noticeably, with many of these travellers flying to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah. Based on our statistics, both Indonesia and Saudi Arabia could attract more visitors and we believe that cooperation is the key word to increase arrivals to the two countries.
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