Asita Bali Hopes Airplane Ticket Prices Fall For Tourism Genjot

Kuta Badung Beach Bali/DOK ANTARA

DENPASAR - The Association of Tourism Agents (Asita) Bali hopes that the government will lower the ticket price of domestic aircraft to boost the tourism sector in responding to the efficiency of government spending.

"The price of plane tickets must be lowered. If that is not done, tourism will experience a significant decline," said Bali Asita Chair Putu Winastra in Denpasar, Bali, Tuesday, February 18.

He expects the decline in domestic flight ticket prices to be more than 10 percent, such as the policies taken when welcoming Christmas and the new year.

According to him, the efficiency currently being carried out by the government will have an impact on the economy, especially in Bali Province, which is more active in the tourism sector.

There is also budget efficiency, including official travel costs, seminars, ceremonial events, honorariums, and other expenditures.

Meanwhile, Bali Province is often chosen by the government as the host for seminars, conferences and government technical meetings.

"Especially hotels that have large meeting rooms and rely on government markets, so this is indeed our challenge," he said.

For this reason, in the future, his party will focus on working on a potential private market to hold activities related to conferences or business meetings (MICE).

Airplane ticket prices are expected to be an incentive that stimulates travel growth, especially domestic tourists.

In addition to decreasing domestic ticket prices, he also hopes that tourism promotion activities will continue to be carried out to attract potential tourists.

"Tourism promotions must continue so that tourists want to come to tourist destinations and then be supported by travel costs that can be reduced, for example in terms of plane ticket prices," he said.

Although he admits that it has an impact on tourism, he has not calculated the potential for the loss of the government market, especially the MICE tourism segmentation.

Previously, the government lowered the ticket price for airplanes by 10 percent during the Christmas and New Year periods.

President Prabowo Subianto has also announced eight policies to boost economic growth in the first quarter of 2025, including a stimulus to leverage people's purchasing power.

One of them is the Ramadan-Lebaran 2025 stimulus which includes discounted flight ticket prices, discounted toll rates, shopping discount programs such as online shopping day (Harbolnas) 2025, the EPIC Sales2025 program, and the 2025 BINA Discount.