Indonesia's maritime tourism shows hope despite pandemic

RI's maritime tourism shows hope despite pandemic
October 19 2020 https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2020/10/18/ris-maritime-tourism-sho...

The pristine, turquoise seas between the islands of the Indonesian archipelago continue to entice tourists despite the ongoing pandemic.

Francesco Galli Zugaro, founder and CEO of luxury cruise provider Aqua Expeditions, said tourists had jumped at the chance to book cruises aboard their Aqua Blu yachts to secluded islands across the country when expeditions began in August.

“The Aqua Blu Indonesia local residents campaign has been very well received. We have had a lot of interest for 2021 and 2020 dates," he told The Jakarta Post during a recent interview.

"People are looking at all our itineraries, as they propose new offerings compared to the traditional offerings. The ease of departing from Bali or Jakarta also helps."

At the moment, the company relies solely on Indonesian guests to charter their yachts privately. However, Zugaro remained optimistic that international borders would reopen in the next year and they could admit guests from outside Indonesia.

Recently, the provider began offering special rates for local residents – Indonesian nationals as well as KITAS and KITAP holders – for excursions on board the ocean explorer. Expeditions around the islands of Indonesia began in August with itineraries of three, seven and 12 nights to destinations as diverse as Komodo National Park, Ambon and the Spice Islands and Raja Ampat in West Papua.

A three-night private charter for up to 30 passengers starts from US$84,900 and $113,200 for four nights. The rate includes all meals onboard and beverages, which include premium wines and local beer. It also includes all excursions, snorkeling equipment and wetsuits, scuba diving for passengers with diving certificates, group transfers to and from the vessel to recommended flights, as well as laundry and internet.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19 on board, as occurred on a number of cruise ships at the beginning of the pandemic, Aqua Expeditions implements strict safety measures that include cleaning and sanitation procedures, health screening and pre-boarding medical evaluations of all crew.

It says it complies with World Health Organization protocols, local health regulations and management standards.

Separately, after mostly cruising the eastern parts of Indonesia, a haven for Indonesian diving, the Benetta pinisi (type of Indonesian sailing rig) live-aboard ship's crew are now sailing around the Jakarta bay area. The ship’s owner, Bobby Weliyanto, said this change was necessary for his business to survive the pandemic.

One of the ship’s most recent voyages took place on Sept. 5 from Sunda Kelapa Harbor in Jakarta. Throughout the trip, all the participants tried their best to maintain social distance and wore masks.

Meanwhile, Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Asia Pacific territory director Paul Tosh Tanner stated that while tourists had held back from visiting Indonesia’s diving spots, particularly in Bali, due to border closures, health and safety played a substantial role in their future travel intentions.

“People will come to Indonesia once they know they are safe. Before, people were looking for adventures and risk-taking, now, families and independent travelers are looking for something safe,” Tanner said during a broadcast event called Indonesia Dive Tourism Market Updates 2020 on Monday.

Tanner said the global association was currently focusing on marketing campaigns and providing diving tour providers with online training to help them prepare for the projected post-COVID-19 pandemic tourism boom.

The Bali administration in August announced the postponement of its plans to reopen Bali to international tourists in September amid health concerns. (gis/vja/mpr)