"This flight service is expected to boost tourist arrivals from China to NTT, with millions of Chinese travelers annually visiting Indonesia. Hence, we initiated this idea to be applied soon," he noted here on Thursday (26/4).
According to Jelamu, Bali recently recorded a positive impact in terms of the flow of Chinese tourists following the commencement of direct flight services to the province. In fact, the number of tourists from China visiting Indonesia through Denpasar, Bali, had reached 1.3 million in 2017.
"Imagine the number of tourists from China that would have an economic impact on the welfare of our local people. For instance, only 20 percent of the Chinese tourists visit the province, and it is big enough as compared to their total population. The government must start the direct flight service to Labuan Bajo in the near future," he remarked.
He stated that the infrastructure at Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo, the capital of West Manggarai District, which is famous for its Komodo National Park, is ready to handle large-bodied aircraft.
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(ANTARA Foto/dok)
Furthermore, the plan to start a direct flight service from China to Labuan Bajo had been discussed between the NTT governor and Consulate General of China Gou Haodong at a meeting in Kupang a few days ago.
Chinese Consul General Gou Haodong expressed readiness to support the direct flight service that can be started with a set schedule of charter flights.
"They welcome the enthusiasm and are ready to support, especially after they have witnessed the tourism attractions in Labuan Bajo and other areas in NTT," he pointed out.
Jelamu conveyed that the provincial government will then coordinate with the relevant ministries at the central level to realize this direct flight service.
"NTT tourism needs full support to start the direct flight service in order to increase foreign tourist arrivals. Hopefully, it would be realized as soon as possible," he added.
