Merpati Recruits South Korean, Japanese Cabin Crew

Jakarta, June 5 (ANTARA) - Indonesia`s state-owned Merpati Airlines have recruited South Korean and Japanese cabin crew to attract tourists from the East Asian countries. "Besides being ready to serve Indonesian passengers they are also ready to attract businessmen and tourists from their respective countries to use Merpati and visit tourist objects in the country," Merpati VP Corporate Secretary Herry Saptanto said in a written statement received here on Wednesday. He said most tourists from South Korea and Japan have so far only visited Bali and Jakarta. Now Merpati would invite tourists from the East Asian countries to also visit tourist objects in Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, Komodo Island in East Nusa Tenggara, Raja Ampat in Papua and Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi. "That is why we have recruited cabin crew from South Korea and Japan. With the increasing number of cabin crew from those countries it is not impossible more Japanese and South Korean citizens would use Merpati to visit tourists objects in regions served by the airline company," he said. He said the South Korean and Japanese cabin crew would be ambassadors to bridge Merpati as well as tourist objects in the Indonesian eastern regions with South Korean and Japanese tourists and travel agencies as well as South Korean and Japanese community members in Indonesia and other countries in Southeast Asia. He said 15 South Korea and Japanese cabin crew have now been ready to serve Merpati passengers. They have been recruited through professional agencies and they are all university graduates and capable of speaking English as well as Indonesian. Herry said initially they would be assigned at MA-60 aircraft serving Denpasar-Mataram and Denpasar-Kupang routes.