The Head of the NTB BPPD, Sahlan M. Saleh, stated that the three primary markets for this tourist flow are Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
"We have mapped out several countries based on their demand for tourists visiting NTB. These countries are Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia. We are prioritizing them as our primary markets. We are also pursuing other countries," he said after meeting with NTB Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal and the NTB BPPD management, accompanied by the Head of the NTB Tourism Office, Ahmad Nur Aulia, in Mataram on Wednesday.
He explained that the three primary target countries for NTB's tourism market have long been entry points for tourist visits to NTB due to their convenient flight connectivity.
"So, this aligns with the governor's extraordinary mission for tourism: making NTB a world-class tourist destination by attracting as many tourists as possible. Then, attracting quality tourists with sufficient funds. That's our target," said Saleh.
To achieve this target, BPPD has prepared several strategies. One of them is strengthening promotional efforts, particularly in the three main markets. However, this promotion is not limited to international markets but also domestically.
"In addition, we are strengthening our destinations, strengthening our human resources, and strengthening our tourism image," said Saleh.
Specifically for Australian airlines, BPPD, along with the local government, is collaborating with national airlines to open flights from Perth to Lombok, similar to the previous partnerships with JetStar and AirAsia.
"In the near future, we will visit Perth to discuss how to increase the load factor of the newly opened flights. So, we will promote this by creating attractive packages for tourists to maximize flight availability," he said.
The Head of the NTB Tourism Office, Ahmad Nur Aulia, stated that the NTB Provincial Government is currently following the governor's directive to strengthen direct flights to the province.
"The governor's directive is to connect several regions through the airport by introducing direct flights. This is to maintain continuity and sustainability. The BPPD has been asked to strengthen this," he said.
Therefore, in accordance with the NTB Governor's directive, the BPPD is expected to synergize with all parties to build air transportation connectivity to facilitate direct access to NTB.
"Specifically for this flight, the governor has coordinated with several national airlines, not foreign airlines. Details regarding airline incentives have not yet been discussed, but rather how to increase passenger availability," Aulia said.
According to data from the NTB Statistics Agency (BPS), the number of domestic and international tourists visiting NTB in April 2023 increased significantly, reaching 43.58 percent.
"The number of foreign tourists arriving through BIZAM in April 2023 was 7,812 people. This represents a 43.58 percent increase compared to March 2023, when there were only 5,441 people," said the Head of the West Nusa Tenggara Statistics Agency (BPS), Wahyudin, on Monday, June 2.
International tourist arrivals through Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport (BIZAM) were dominated by European tourists, with 3,100 people. This was followed by ASEAN tourists (2,811), non-ASEAN Asian tourists (1,169), Oceania tourists (352), American tourists (331), Middle Eastern tourists (25), and African tourists (24).
Meanwhile, domestic tourist arrivals in West Nusa Tenggara in April reached 1,427,974 people, representing a 35.74 percent increase.
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Translator: Arie Novarina
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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