Indonesia wants Chinese tourists to look beyond Bali holidays, mulls visa waiver
Asean News Published 2 months ago on 28 June 2024 |
Author TIN Media
INDONESIA :
Indonesia’s Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno is on a mission to get Chinese tourists to look beyond Bali for their next tropical getaway.
“Top of mind for Chinese tourists is still Bali,” Sandiaga said in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Dalian, China.
“But increasingly, these younger Chinese tourists would like to experience the other three S of sun, sea and sand – into serenity, spirituality and sustainability,” he added. So the government is developing “Bali experiences” on many other islands to bring in 1.3 million visitors from China this year.
Labuan Bajo, near the island that is home to Komodo dragons, and Unesco World Heritage site Borobudur temple are among the five destinations where the government is deveoping tourism standards close to Bali’s.
Sandiaga is also expecting tourists to spend more. Visitors used to spend about US$900 per person before the pandemic, now they’re doling out about US$1,600. “So we’re looking at more quality tourist arrival, people who stay longer and people who spend on the local economy,” he added.
