PT Aviasi Pariwisata Indonesia (InJourney) and Thai Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to extend air connectivity between Thailand and Indonesia, particularly to the destination of Borobudur Temple. This cooperation is anticipated to extend the variety of tourists and promote the event of potential tourist destinations in Indonesia, especially in Central Java.
The agreement was signed by Maya Watono, Director of Marketing and Travel Programs at InJourney, and Wit Kitchathorn, Director of Sales at Thai Airways, in Jakarta on Monday, August 19, 2024.
The Potential of Borobudur Temple as a Spiritual Place
Hetty Herawati, business director of InJourney Destination Management, said the Borobudur temple is used as a spot of worship and meditation for Buddhist communities and tourists. With great potential as a worldwide pilgrimage site, Borobudur combines historical, spiritual and philosophical values which might be vital to Buddhists and cultural seekers.
Borobudur frequently hosts spiritual events, resembling the Waisak Full Moon Festival. In addition, introductory tours are organized for tour operators from Thailand and other Buddhist-majority Asian countries to extend spiritual and cultural tourism and speed up the event of tourism within the Borobudur region.
Yogyakarta and Borobudur Temple are popular destinations for Thai tourists because of their spiritual connection to Buddhism. Thai Airways is committed to connecting travelers from Thailand, Europe and Asia to Yogyakarta and hopes that this partnership can be mutually helpful.
Development of spiritual tourism in Borobudur
Maya said the Borobudur temple will develop into a spiritual tourism pilgrimage destination for Buddhists, in step with InJourney’s commitment to creating inclusive places of worship.
Given the strong interest in spiritual tourism, InJourney is partnering with Thai Airways to strengthen air connectivity to Borobudur Temple. With 64 million Buddhists in Thailand and 120 million in Southeast Asia, this connectivity has significant potential to draw tourists to Borobudur Temple.
She also mentioned that through the peak season, Borobudur Temple receives 1.4 million tourists, 10% of whom are foreign. With the opening of flights from Thailand to Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA), it is anticipated that the variety of foreign tourists could increase five-fold.
Maya also emphasized that InJourney goals to supply a comprehensive experience through synergy between airline services, airports and destination management to develop Borobudur as a spiritual destination.
Support from different sides
Pelita Air, an Indonesian airline, welcomes this partnership, hoping that it can boost the growing domestic tourism market. InJourney Aviation Services (IAS), a subsidiary of InJourney specializing in aviation support services, cargo and logistics, also supports this initiative with Joumpa services at 40 airports in Indonesia, ensuring smooth and comfy passenger journeys from arrival to departure.
Meanwhile, the federal government is specializing in developing integrated facilities and air links in Central Java and around Borobudur Temple to facilitate the flow of passengers and goods and increase the variety of tourists visiting the region.
