Bandung, IndonesiaSentinel.com — Indonesia has taken a major step in promoting Borobudur Temple as a pilgrim tourism by enhancing air transportation connectivity between Indonesia and Thailand through collaboration.
The holding company for Indonesia’s state-owned tourism enterprises (BUMN), PT Aviasi Pariwisata Indonesia (Persero) also known as InJourney has partnered with Thailand’s national airline, Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (Thai Airways).
One of the goals is to boost tourist traffic, which is expected to drive the development of other potential tourism spots in Indonesia, especially in Central Java.
Maya Watono, InJourney’s Director of Marketing and Tourism Programs, mentioned that Borobudur Temple is being positioned as a destination for spiritual pilgrim tourism. It is aligns with Injourney’s commitment to develop inclusive destinations for Buddhist community.
“We recognize the high interest among tourists who seek spiritual pilgrimages to Borobudur. To support this, we are enhancing air connectivity by collaborating with Thai Airways,” Maya stated during a press conference at the company’s headquarters on Monday 19 August 2024.
Borobudur Temple as Buddhist Pilgrim Tourism Potential
Globally, there are approximately 530 million people who practice Buddhism, whom 490 million are in Asia, which is 92% of the world’s Buddhist population. Southeast Asia alone is home to 120 million Buddhists, with Thailand hosting 64 million, or 53% of the region’s Buddhist population.
Seeing these numbers, opening the air connection from Thailand to Borobudur is highly potential.
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“During peak seasons, Borobudur Temple attracts about 1.4 million visitors with 10% or roughly 140,000 being international tourists. With this potential, the new air route connecting Thailand to Borobudur via Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) could lead to a fivefold increase in international visitors in the upcoming years,” She added.
With the synergies between subsidiary company, Maya emphasized InJourney’s commitment to create a seamless experience for travelers, from aviation services and airport facilities to destination management, thereby establishing Borobudur Temple as a premier spiritual destination.
Commercial Director of InJourney Destination Management, Hetty Herawati added that Borobudur Temple serves as a place of worship for the Buddhist community, while also provide meditation space for the public and tourists.
Aside from its historical and spiritual significance, the values and philosophies of life engraved in Borobudur’s reliefs and architecture are deeply meaningful to Buddhists as well as to all visitors who seek both spiritual and cultural experiences,” Herawati concluded.
(Raidi/Agung)
