Indonesia expands air connectivity with China as tourist arrivals continue to rise
New direct routes between Jakarta, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are expected to strengthen tourism flows and support growing demand from Chinese travellers
Indonesia is set to further strengthen its tourism sector following the launch of two new direct flight routes linking Jakarta with the Chinese cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The services are expected to enhance passenger flows and support the steady recovery in international arrivals from China, as reported by ANTARA.
According to official data, Indonesia recorded 491,726 arrivals from China between January and April 2023, marking a 25.58 per cent rise compared to the same period in the previous year.
The inaugural Guangzhou–Jakarta flight landed with 172 passengers, achieving a 92.5 per cent load factor. A day later, the first Shenzhen–Jakarta service arrived with 178 passengers and a 95.6 per cent occupancy rate, reflecting strong demand on both routes.
The Guangzhou connection will operate three times weekly, while flights from Shenzhen will run twice a week. Tourism authorities expect the expanded network to encourage greater travel beyond Jakarta, supporting wider regional destinations across Indonesia.
Officials noted that China remains one of Indonesia’s key tourism markets, with the new connectivity seen as an additional step towards sustaining visitor growth and strengthening long-term economic contributions from the sector.
Across BRICS and partner countries, tourism continues to play a key role in economic growth, with governments focusing on increasing visitor flows, improving infrastructure and strengthening international connectivity to support the sector’s expansion.
Egypt’s tourism sector recorded 4 per cent growth by the end of May and the first week of June, reflecting steady performance, according to Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathi. He noted that the sector has achieved measurable progress across economic, technological and regulatory levels. The minister added that Egypt has hosted multiple international delegations, tourism influencers, and travel companies, alongside a series of industry events and meetings aimed at promoting the country’s tourism profile, reports Sada El-Balad, a partner of TV BRICS. He also highlighted that tourist spending has risen from 30 to 40 per cent as part of a broader strategy.
Malaysia’s domestic tourism sector recorded strong growth in 2025. The number of domestic visitors increased by 11.5 per cent to 290.1 million, while the average length of stay rose to 2.56 nights from 2.49 a year earlier. According to Vietnam News Agency (VNA), a partner of TV BRICS, Selangor remained the country’s most visited destination with 36.4 million visitors, followed by Kuala Lumpur with 35.1 million and Perak with 23.6 million.
Moreover, tourism remains one of Kazakhstan’s key drivers of economic growth and investment attractiveness, supported by rising visitor flows, expanding infrastructure and increasing capital inflows into the sector. In 2025, hotels and other accommodation facilities served more than 10 million guests, including 8.7 million domestic tourists, while inbound tourism reached 15.7 million foreign visitors, as reported by the government's website. The sector’s total revenue amounted to US$720 million, and investment in tourism development exceeded US$2.6 billion, reflecting strong confidence in long-term industry expansion. Overall, tourist activity reached 11.8 million trips, with total spending of US$2.2 billion, underscoring the growing economic contribution of tourism to transport, services and retail industries.
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