ID :
76794
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 09:09
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/76794
The shortlink copeid
BATAM PREPARING TO ATRACT MORE CHINESE TOURISTS
Batam, Aug 24 (ANTARA) - Batam's tourism office is targeting an increase in Chinese tourist arrivals in the island during the Visit Batam Year 2010.
"China's potential as a torism market is very great and Batam must try to get a share of it," the head of Batam city's tourism Office, Raja Mukhsin, said on Monday.
He said, Chinese people were also interested in visiting other countries in Asia, so Batam needed to do something to respond to their interest.
The Batam city administration, he added, also had an agreement with Inti Batam to organize several cultural events to attract Chinese tourists. But lack of direct flight from China to Batam was a major constraint for Chinese people to visit Batam.
"We need direct flights from China to Batam, to increase international tourist arrivals from China," he said.
Some time ago, some Chinese airline companies had offered to open services on the China-Batam route but their offers were not responded to adequately or effectively, he said.
He also said there were many factors that had hampered the opening of direct flights between China and Batam such as the difficulty to obtain Transportation Department permits.
Other factor, he added, was that the airline companies were uncertain about the profitability of a Batam-China route as they were worried about lack of passengers.
"We also need to encourage tourists from Batam to go also to China, " Raja said.
He added, the sister-city agreement between Batam-Shenzen can attract people from both cities to travel in both directions.
"We will use the sister-city relationship to attract Chinese tourists to come to Batam and other parts of Indonesia " he said.
Meanwhile, chairman of Inti Batam Harsono said Batam's potential to attract Chinese tourists needed to be developed.
"Chinese people always have an interest in our culture," he said.
About direct flights between Chinese cities and Batam, he said such a service needed to be opened soon. Inti itself had over the past two years tried to get Chinese airlines to fly to Batam but without success.
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"China's potential as a torism market is very great and Batam must try to get a share of it," the head of Batam city's tourism Office, Raja Mukhsin, said on Monday.
He said, Chinese people were also interested in visiting other countries in Asia, so Batam needed to do something to respond to their interest.
The Batam city administration, he added, also had an agreement with Inti Batam to organize several cultural events to attract Chinese tourists. But lack of direct flight from China to Batam was a major constraint for Chinese people to visit Batam.
"We need direct flights from China to Batam, to increase international tourist arrivals from China," he said.
Some time ago, some Chinese airline companies had offered to open services on the China-Batam route but their offers were not responded to adequately or effectively, he said.
He also said there were many factors that had hampered the opening of direct flights between China and Batam such as the difficulty to obtain Transportation Department permits.
Other factor, he added, was that the airline companies were uncertain about the profitability of a Batam-China route as they were worried about lack of passengers.
"We also need to encourage tourists from Batam to go also to China, " Raja said.
He added, the sister-city agreement between Batam-Shenzen can attract people from both cities to travel in both directions.
"We will use the sister-city relationship to attract Chinese tourists to come to Batam and other parts of Indonesia " he said.
Meanwhile, chairman of Inti Batam Harsono said Batam's potential to attract Chinese tourists needed to be developed.
"Chinese people always have an interest in our culture," he said.
About direct flights between Chinese cities and Batam, he said such a service needed to be opened soon. Inti itself had over the past two years tried to get Chinese airlines to fly to Batam but without success.
***2***
