REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KUTA -- Indonesia can target Russia as one of its potential tourism markets, Russian Honorary Consul for Bali Chairul Nuku Hamka said.

"Russia offers good tourism market potential for Indonesia because its tourists spend more and stay for longer visits," he stated here on Saturday.

Based on statistical studies, two Russian tourists are comparable to 10 German tourists in terms of parameters such as spending and length of stay, he added.

"Russian tourists prefer to stay in five-star hotels with a high market segment," the Russian honorary consul explained.

As many as 93,622 Russian tourists visited Indonesia in 2013, but the figure dropped to 88,775 in 2014.

The decline in the visits of Russian tourists in 2014 was due to several factors. Besides the absence of direct flights from Indonesia to Russia, the breakaway of the former Soviet Union also suffered an embargo that caused the value of its currency ruble to depreciate.

Of the total number of Russian tourists, 72 thousand visited Bali.

"The average number of Russian tourists visiting Bali per month reaches 4,000 to 5,000," Hamka pointed out.

He noted that Russian tourists hope for regular direct flights that connect Indonesia with Russia to be started.

So far, Russian tourists used a chartered plane, Transaero, which flies the Russian flag and serves tourists once a week, he explained.

National flights do not have regular schedules for the Indonesia-Russia route.

"Since 2011, Garuda Indonesia has been planning to introduce direct flights to four cities in Russia. However, the matter is still being deliberated, while flight permits for this purpose have yet to be issued," the honorary consul said.

In an effort to attract Russian tourists to visit Indonesia and to develop connectivity between the two nations, Indonesia and Russia are now discussing the possibility of implementing visa-free visits.

Early this month, Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to use the occasion of the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations to enhance cooperation between the nations.

The two state leaders made their statements in this regard in their congratulatory messages to each other from Jakarta and Moscow on February 3.

"The celebration is expected to push both parties to enhance and deepen the existing bilateral relations the two countries have enjoyed all this time," President Jokowi remarked in his congratulatory message.

He highlighted that bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Russia had been growing stronger through friendship, equality, mutual respect and understanding.

"Considering the significant cooperation potential that can be developed, we can now advance our good relations to a higher stage not only bilaterally, but on regional and global platforms as well," he stressed.

In his congratulatory message, Putin said that the bilateral relations between Russia and Indonesia were based on good traditions and dynamic progress, which covers new fields from time to time, as had been emphasized at the meeting between the two state leaders during the APEC Summit in Beijing last year.

"I want to underline our readiness to continue the constructive cooperation to enhance our bilateral relations. These ties should be developed in the best interests of Russia and Indonesia to ensure stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region," he stated.

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