Trade Bytes

Indonesia Specialist programme promises to revive arrival figures

Andrea Lopez - Mumbai

Clavin Marketing India, in collaboration with Malaysia Airlines, Sachinam Travels and Blue Star Air Travel Services will launch the first ever Indonesia Specialist programme for the Indian market at Medan in Indonesia from August 17-20, 2007. The move comes in the wake of the recent EU ban on Indonesian airlines operating to any of the EU countries after the European Commission found the airlines unsafe for passenger travel. This will affect about 51 Indonesian airlines.

Indonesia's tourism has already begun to show signs of a slowdown with a 40 per cent decline in the number of tourists visiting the city. Clarence Fernandes, managing director of Clavin Marketing India, said, "The programme was conceived to counter the EU ban. We will be taking a delegation of around 80 travel agents and tour operators to participate in the event. Tourism boards of various provinces of Indonesia will interact with the travel trade over the three-day event."

The North Sumatra Tourism Board, along with the ministry of culture and tourism have decided to organise this intensive training programme to educate the travel trade about what Indonesia has to offer to the Indian outbound traveller.