23 Oct 2013
The national carrier entices golfing pros with a free sports luggage policy
Home to more than 140 golf courses back-dropped by lush jungles, deep blue oceans, dramatic landscapes and iconic city skylines, Visit Indonesia is encouraging inbound golf tourism in the archipelago with the aim to promote Indonesia as a top golfing destination in Asia.
As Indonesia’s national airline, Garuda Indonesia will support the Ministry for Tourism and Creative Economy’s latest effort to attract more golfers to the country by permitting a free sports bag of up to 23kg to be carried along with the standard hold and carry-on baggage. Comparatively, many other airlines’ policies currently require sports luggage to be accommodated within the checked luggage allowance. The additional 23kg sport luggage allowance that Garuda Indonesia will now offer to its passengers is part of the airline’s commitment to service improvement.
Jubi Prasetyo, General Manager UK, Garuda Indonesia, says: "Indonesia is home to some of the finest courses across the globe yet it has managed to stay under the golfing communities' radar. Approximately 36% of our courses meet international standards and have been designed by renowned professional golfers including Greg Norman, Graham Marsh and Jack Nicklaus, so there is a lot of potential to become a strong contender for golf tourism in the continent."
"By providing passengers with a generous luggage allowance, Garuda Indonesia hopes to support the government’s new initiative to bring in 50,000 golfers by 2014."
Spread across 17,504 tropical islands swimming in the Indian Ocean, the world’s largest archipelago spans many diverse environments. The country’s 51 world-class golf courses are placed among impressive surroundings such as the Bintan Lagoon's Ocean View course which boasts views of tropical jungle on the front nine holes and spectacular views of the South China Sea on the back-nine.
With Garuda Indonesia’s strong domestic network serving 34 national airports, along with its launch of the first and only non-stop service between London and Jakarta in 2014, Garuda Indonesia will make the courses more accessible to travellers, driving Indonesia to the forefront of the golf scene across the pacific region.
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For further information please contact:
Jill Duffell / Linda Cerminara / Sakhita Sharma
Rooster PR
T: +44 (0) 20 3440 8930
E: garudaindonesia@rooster.co.uk
Garuda Indonesia
Garuda Indonesia is the national airline of Indonesia and provides passengers with an authentic Indonesian experience from the moment they book their trip; to the moment they collect their bags.
The Garuda Indonesia experience is based on the five senses – sight, sound, scent, taste and touch. Through the traditional Indonesian food served on board the aircraft to the smell of aromatic flowers, passengers will be immersed in all that the country has to offer.
Garuda Indonesia received the Best Regional Airline in the World award in 2012 from Skytrax and has recently been awarded The World's Best Economy Class and The World’s Best Economy Class Seats awards by Skytrax at the International Paris Air Show.
The airline will offer the first and only non-stop scheduled flights from London to Jakarta four days a week starting May 2014 and has ordered ten new B777-300ER aircraft; July 2013 saw the arrival of the first new aircraft and there will be subsequent deliveries up until January 2016. These will hold eight First Class seats, 38 Business Class seats and 268 Economy Class seats.
The company’s determined efforts to develop its network of destinations and improve service quality are part of the airline’s move to join the SkyTeam global alliance in March 2014 and in anticipation of 2015’s ASEAN Open Sky policy.
Garuda Indonesia’s service is tailored to meet the needs of the growing business travel market between the UK and Indonesia.
