French outbound demand for Indonesia surged 79 per cent for winter 2016/2017, edging the South-east Asian country into one of the top five destinations for French travellers, according to figures released by French tour operator association Le Syndicat des Entreprises du Tour Operating.

For the summer, bookings coming through French agents had also increased 38 per cent over the previous year, said I Gde Pitana, deputy minister for international tourism promotion development, at the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism.

Indonesian inbound agents have witnessed similar growth trends. Said Umberto Cadamuro, COO inbound, Pacto: “It looks like this year France will take the lion’s share during the high season from June to October.” The Indonesian DMC foresees closing the year with about 9,000 passengers from France, up from the 7,000 materialised last year.

According to Cadamuro, the biggest driver of growth are Middle Eastern carriers like Qatar Airways and Emirates connecting multiple hubs in France during the high season to generate additional airlift for Indonesia.

For Panorama Destination, which recorded an increase of 34 per cent on their France inbound segment, CEO Renato Domini pointed to the continued promotion undertaken by Visit Indonesia Tourism Office as well as the sales efforts the company has undertaken in France as some of the key drivers of growth.

Golden Kris, likewise, observes a 20 per cent hike in French group series from last year, which product manager Nelsye Lumanaw attributes to the South-east Asian country’s abundance of nature as well as the authorities’ constant development of tourist sites.

Original Sources: ttgasia.com/…