Bali, Indonesia: A new direct daily flight between Dubai to Bali launched by Emirates will help unravel new opportunities in trade and tourism for Indonesia, a top tourism official of the country said on Thursday.
“The new direct service will positively impact the Indonesian tourism sector and visitors to Bali itself,” Professor I. Gde Pitana, Deputy Minister for Resource Development, Indonesian Ministry of Tourism, told a press conference on Wednesday.
“The Island continues to attract tourists from around the world, and a direct route to and from Dubai with Emirates will help increase access to other parts of the world, bringing new opportunities for travellers and businesses alike,” he added.
On Wednesday, Emirates launched a daily non-stop service to Bali, operated in a two-class configuration of the Boeing 777-300ER.
“It’s about a 400-seat aircraft and it’s already 90 per cent full capacity for the first four months of operation — so tourism to Bali is already looking rosy,” Barry Brown, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations for Far East and Australasia, told Gulf News.
“The current cargo capacity between Dubai-Indonesia on the Emirates network alone is 294 tonnes per week — so trade will also increase substantially,” he said.
Key trade items out of Bali will be seafood going through Dubai to Europe and the handicrafts that Bali is renowned for, he said.
With Emirates SkyCargo offering 294 tonnes of capacity per week between Dubai and Bali, other goods carried from Bali will include marine products and household and leather goods.
The imports into Bali and its adjoining islands of Surabaya and Balikpapan are expected to include personal effects, perishables, pharmaceuticals and automotive spare parts.
