Jakarta (ANTARA) - Three foreign airlines have shown interest in opening direct flights to Labuan Bajo, Indonesia's super-priority tourist destination in East Nusa Tenggara, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, has informed.
"We, together with the Ministry of Transportation, are currently in discussion with several parties. There are three airlines that have stated their keenness to open direct flights, namely Malaysia's Air Asia, Singapore's Scoot, and Australia's Jetstar," he announced in a written statement on Monday.
Uno made the statement at the year-end press conference of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy in Jakarta on December 22, 2023.
He also highlighted that the ministry will continue to invest efforts to achieve the target of hosting one million tourists at Labuan Bajo's Komodo Airport by next year.
Meanwhile, Director of the Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority (BPOLBF), Shana Fatina, affirmed that the authority will focus on making the activities and events scheduled for next year a success in the hope of boosting the number of tourists visiting the destination further.
"For next year, we are aiming to host events every month to captivate more tourists. We will also focus on diversifying tourism products. The number of tourist visits has reached over 270 thousand, exceeding that recorded in 2019," she pointed out.
Fatina said that her office is currently eyeing direct flights to Labuan Bajo from Australia and Singapore, while noting that the authority will collaborate with partners next year to bolster the appeal of the Parapuar tourism area, which is a part of the Labuan Bajo super-priority tourism destination.
"Even though electricity supply from PLN (state-run electricity company) has yet to reach Parapuar, we can use independent solar panels while promoting green tourism in Labuan Bajo," she added.
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