The West Sumatra Tourism Department aims to attract international tourists from Singapore by pursuing direct flights from Padang.
The West Sumatra Tourism Department has set its sights on Singaporean tourists, initiating efforts for direct flights between Padang and Singapore. Mr Luhur Budianda, Head of the West Sumatra Tourism Department, revealed that communication has been established with Scoot, a Singaporean airline, to potentially launch the Padang-Singapore route. This move is intended not only to appeal to tourists from Singapore but also to visitors from various countries who often visit the island nation.
According to Mr Luhur, the absence of direct flights is a challenge in attracting tourists from Singapore. Therefore, the West Sumatera Provincial Government is committed to realising this direct flight route. “West Sumatra offers a rich array of tourism potentials, ranging from natural attractions, cultural arts, to culinary delights. The tourism industry players in West Sumatra have also developed numerous attractive packages for tourists,” he remarked.
Despite these efforts, Mr Luhur emphasised the need for local tourism stakeholders to prepare packages that cater specifically to the preferences and needs of Singaporean tourists. This customization is seen as crucial in effectively capturing the interest of this target market.
The Provincial Government of West Sumatra has set a tourism target of 13.5 million visitors for 2024, marking a significant increase from the 2023 target of 8.2 million. However, achieving this target was hampered by a series of natural disasters since December 2023, which caused a 20 percent decrease in tourist arrivals from January to May 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
Source: Antara News
