Garuda Indonesia and Korea Tourism Organization Join Hands

National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and the Korea Tourism Organization, or KTO, have agreed to cooperate in an initiative to boost tourism.

Garuda Indonesia marketing vice president Selfie Dewiyanti and KTO president Jung Chang-soo signed the agreement at the Garuda City Center auditorium in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, on Monday (17/10).

In an effort to attract more tourists, Garuda and the KTO will provide special fares and discount coupons for tourist destinations in South Korea.

The two companies are optimistic that their cooperation will see positive results, considering an upward trend in the number of Indonesian tourists visiting South Korea.

"In the first semester of 2016, Garuda Indonesia flew 71,349 passengers from Indonesia to South Korea and we are certain that the number of passengers will increase and exceed last year's total by the end of this year," Selfie said.

Jung said his agency is very enthusiastic about cooperating with a world-class five-star airline such as Garuda Indonesia to boost tourism in South Korea.

According to KTO data, the number of Indonesian tourists visiting South Korea increased by 37.5 percent in the first semester of 2016.
"It was such a significant rise compared to the first semester of 2015. After seeing the trend, we are very optimistic about working with Garuda Indonesia and looking forward to see how it develops," Jung said.

Garuda Indonesia provides flights to Seoul from Jakarta and Bali using Airbus 330-300 jets offering 24 business-class and 263 economy-class seats. (Jakarta Globe)