Travel to Jakarta could take a hit after attacks
Nisha Ramchandani
Singapore
TRAVEL demand for Jakarta may soften in the near term after blasts rocked the Indonesian capital on Thursday, just a few weeks ahead of Chinese New Year.
At least seven people - of whom four were attackers - were reportedly killed after a series of explosions went off at Sarinah shopping mall in central Jakarta, near the United Nations office.
"In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Jakarta, there is some fear in travellers heading to the city and (this) is likely to impact bookings in the short term," said Alicia Seah, Dynasty Travel's director (public relations & communications). "They will now more likely hold back their travel needs to Jakarta and monitor the situation."
Bookings to Paris took a sharp tumble following the terror attacks last November, a trend which is expected to continue into the early part of this year. Citing historical trends from prior incidents, the International Air Transport Association's (Iata) chief economist Brian Pearce said last month that travel typically rebounds in 6-9 months.
In the case of Jakarta, however, outbound travellers from Singapore are typically business travellers as opposed to leisure travellers; leisure travellers are more "sensitive" to calamities and instability, said a spokesman for travel agent Chan Brothers.
She added: "We will closely monitor the local situation to assess its continual development by keeping in touch with our inbound counterpart and ensure customers are well informed of the situation over there and the prevailing travel advisories - if any - prior to reservation. Furthermore, we encourage purchase of travel insurance."
In addition, travellers are advised to register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) so that they can be contacted in case of an emergency.
Meanwhile, carriers such as Singapore Airlines (SIA), Jetstar and Tiger Airways said that flights to Indonesia's capital city continue to operate as usual. Passengers departing from Jakarta are advised to arrive at the airport early, as there may be increased traffic congestion.
"At this point, all Singapore Airlines flights are operating normally but we are monitoring the situation closely," said an SIA spokesman.
A Jetstar spokesman said: "Should a travel warning be issued by the authorities, we will advise passengers on changes to their flights and their options. We are monitoring the situation in Jakarta closely and remain in regular contact with MFA."
