Indonesia Invites Russian Tourists with 'It's Time for Bali' Campaign

TheIndonesia.id - Indonesia is inviting more tourists from Russia to the country with its “It’s Time for Bali” campaign, introduced during the tourism event Moscow International Tour and Travel (MITT) Exhibition 2022.

During its participation in the 28th edition of MITT event at Krokus Expo Center in Moscow on March 15-17, Indonesia had the opportunity to promote local tourism and invite Russian tourists to return and come to Indonesia, especially to Bali, as visit sharply declined during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We expect to attract more tourists from Russia to come to Indonesia,” coordinator of economic function at the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow Adi Priyanto said on Wednesday, March 23, as reported by Antara.

Hundreds of participants took part in MITT exhibition this year, consisting of 611 participants from 52 regions in Russia and 14 state representatives that included Indonesia, the Philippines, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Guangzhou (China), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Egypt, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela.

The tourism event enriched visitors with tourism-related information, such as travel package, hotel, inbound services, flight IT solutions, travel insurance, and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions).

Asia Collection Tour, Pegasus Indonesia, Melia Bali, Bounty Bali, Maestro Indonesia, and Mayora Group were some of Indonesia’s travel agents that participated and were present at the 40-m2 Indonesia’s booth for the event.

“Indonesia participated in MITT from 2008 to 2019, but was absent in the next editions due to the pandemic. Indonesia’s presence in MITT 2022 attracted many attention, especially since Bali has been reopened for tourists,” Priyanto added.

“It’s Time for Bali” theme was chosen because the world-famous island is a favorite among Russian tourists, and MITT 2022 was expected to help the revival of national tourism industry.

Hundreds of visitors came to Indonesia’s booth during the three-day event and looked for information on visa, health protocols, and quarantine regulations.

Indonesia also offered “10 New Bali” travel package, including to Lake Toba, Borobudur Temple, Mount Bromo, Komodo island, Wakatobi National Park, and others.

One visitor Elena Orlova said the event helped her to get the necessary information as she plans to visit Bali this year.

“I’m planning to go to Bali this year. Unfortunately, there isn’t visa on arrival for Russians. But we can still apply for Indonesian visa through other channel,” Orlova said.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, 158,943 Russian tourists visited Indonesia in 2019. However, due to COVID-related restrictions, the figure dropped to 67,491 visitors in 2020 and 8,392 in 2021.