REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PEKANBARU -- Jetstar Asia's new Singapore-Pekanbaru route, with three weekly flights, is expected to boost the tourism sector in Riau Province, an official stated.

The Tourism Ministry's Deputy of Foreign Marketing, I Gde Pitana, noted here on Thursday that connectivity was one of the important factors to develop Pekanbaru, the capital city of Riau province, as a tourism destination.

"As about 80 percent of the tourists arrive by airlines in Indonesia, hence the Tourism Ministry has lauded the opening of the new route connecting Singapore to Pekanbaru by Jetstar," he remarked.

Pitana affirmed that Singapore was one of the main tourism markets as 1.6 million Singaporean tourists visited Indonesia in 2014, and the number is expected to increase further.

Moreover, the foreign tourists who depart from Singapore are not only its nationals but also expatriates who live and work there and might be keen to visit Indonesia.

Thus, Jetstar's new route from Singapore to Pekanbaru was also expected to bring in more foreign tourists to Indonesia.

"We need to increase the seat capacity on flights arriving from abroad to the various tourist destinations in Indonesia," Pitana suggested.

"The new route from Singapore to Riau is in line with the government's mission to connect Singapore to other new destinations outside Bali," he noted.

Following the launch of the new air route to Pekanbaru, the government is optimistic of improving its tourism services in Riau province and is expected to generate greater interest among tourists to visit the region, thereby improving the local economy.

The launch event of Jetstar's new Singapore-Pekanbaru route was attended by Pitana, Jetstar Asia's head of commercial Frances Lois, and Jetstar Asia Pilot Chief Capt. Richard Doran as well as the representatives of the Riau provincial government and state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II.

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