Proposed tourism fee on airfares faces business backlash

Workers clean a Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737-800 NG airplane at the Garuda Maintenance Facility (GMF) AeroAsia, at Soekarno-Hatta International airport near Jakarta, on Jan. 21, 2022. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan) 

 

The government’s plan to collect a fee by hiking airfares faces a backlash from tourist industry players, who deem such a surcharge counterproductive and unethical.

A letter issued by the Office of the Coordinating Investment and Maritime Affairs Minister on Saturday revealed that the government is considering collecting fees on airfares for the new Tourism Endowment Fund.

Discussions on the matter are still in the early stage, government officials insist.

"It's best to just confirm it with the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister, because this is just an initial discussion," Transportation Ministry spokeswoman Adita Irawati said on Tuesday, as reported by Bisnis.

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno reassured reporters on Monday that the fee was still being discussed and, in any case, would not “burden the public with higher ticket prices”.

Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI) secretary-general Maulana Yusran expressed concern that the proposed rule would hurt tourist businesses that were still struggling to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We hope the government will not put a burden on businesses and travelers. Increasing airfares for the sake of the tourism fund will hurt the appeal of Indonesian tourism,” he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. (TheJakartaPost)