Garuda launches direct flights from Seoul

Garuda Indonesia has launched a new route flying direct from Seoul Korea. The national carrier and the Indonesian Embassy, invited 40 journalists and travel industry people from Korea, to visit Bali on a promotional tour.

The flight is about 8 hours, I know I took it in December flying Korean Airlines. Most Korean visitors to Bali come on packages, which include flight and hotel. They actually don’t spend a lot of money, but with the decline in Australian tourists, Indonesia has to try for anyone who will come. The Indonesian department of tourism should put together a marketing plan, advertising Bali as a romantic getaway spot, high end. They should also market Bali as a tropical spa paradise. So many Japanese tourists come so they can visit a spa everyday. I’m sure people from Korea would also find this appealing if they had a ready made package they could plug into.

Anyway, much of what goes on here is left to the individual business operators and middlemen to promote. Indonesia doesn’t have ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’ type of campaign.