AirAsia to open Perth-Lombok route
AirAsia will launch a new route connecting Western Australia with Indonesian tourist island Lombok.
The new service from Perth will commence in February.
It is been funded by the Indonesian tourism ministry to kick-start the tourism economy in Lombok following this summer’s devastating earthquakes.
"We have massively promoted awareness that Lombok and Sumbawa are safe to visit," said Governor of Nusa Tenggara Barat province, H. Zulkieflimansyah.
Revenue for half of the 180 seats per flight will be underwritten by the provincial government via state funds from Jakarta.
This will last for six months and will then be re-evaluated, with the hope the market will have fully rebounded to pre-quake levels.
The NTB government is also partnering with budget carrier Lion Air to launch two new routes to Guangzhou and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Zulkieflimansyah said the China market remains a major focus for Lombok’s destination marketing strategy.
"At the moment, there are several chartered flights from China to Lombok. More effort is needed to realise Lion Air’s direct China-Lombok route. We are still developing this arrangement with the airline," he said.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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