Published on : Thursday, March 5, 2020
The incentives are mostly built around airfares for boosting domestic travel. However, incentives for supporting local travel agents are said to be lacking.
I Ketut Ardana, managing director of Bali Sunshine and chairman of Association of Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) Bali Chapter, wrote a letter to the government asking the absence of incentives for travel agents.
“Our members have also been affected by the coronavirus as it has resulted in a wave of cancellations. This is not an issue faced just by travel agents who focus only on the Chinese market. Agents who handle other markets have also suffered a significant number of cancellations as the outbreak has made people from many countries reluctant or afraid to travel,” Ardana said.
Pauline Suharno, secretary general of Indonesian Travel Agent Association (ASTINDO) said that she too plans to write a similar letter to the government to seek help in avoiding lay-offs. She added that some travel agents have started to offer unpaid leave to their staff.
Suharno suggested that the government could put into practice helpful measures like tax cuts and lessen interest rates for travel agents.
Daniel G Nugraha, the director of Exotic Java Trails, and Budijanto Ardiansjah, the director of My Duta Tour, said that the tax waivers for hotels and restaurants should also be extended to travel agents.
Tags: Indonesian travel agents