Indonesia proposes to launch Almaty-Jakarta air service
The delegation of Turkestan region and large tour operators of Indonesia met in Jakarta, Kazinform correspondent reports.
As stated there, historical and cultural sites such as Arystan Baba and Yassawi Mausoleums, Ukash Ata water well and mysterious cave Ak Meshit stir great interest among Indonesian pilgrims.
Millions of Indonesian Muslims pay annual Umrah and Hajj to Saudi Arabia. The greater part of pilgrims after Umrah sets to travel to holy places located in Central Asia.
"The Central Asian tour includes ancient cities of Bukhara, Samarqand in Uzbekistan, Petra in Jordan and other countries. Now the geography will expand. The sacred sites of Turkestan region will be added to the tour," Turkistan Invest managing director for external relations Bayan Kayupova said.
Following the talks, the Indonesian authorities proposed to launch the direct air service between Almaty and Jakarta.
"Opening of the direct air service will give an impetus to boost inflow of tourists, including pilgrims to your region. Currently, the population of Indonesia comprises 270 mln people, 90% of them are Muslims. I believe that the greater part of our pilgrims will take a chance to visit Turkestan," special envoy of Indonesian President Aditya Pradana said.
The meeting was held as part of the roadshow of the Turkestan delegation's visit to Malaysia and Indonesia. The trip was organized by the tourism and external relations department of Turkestan region.