DENPASAR – Vaccinated tourists from the Netherlands can travel to Bali without quarantine since this week. This is the first time since the start of the corona crisis. However, they must still take a PCR test before departure and immediately upon arrival. Reisbizz.nl spoke with Flip Stoltenborgh of Indonesia specialist Merapi Tour & Travel about this good news.
“Now we can finally do what we are good at and what makes us happy: advising and making great travel proposals,” is Flip’s first reaction. In terms of bookings, Bali is the most important destination in Indonesia for the travel organization. “The ZRAs in particular generate a lot of bookings. In terms of turnover, it is somewhat less. This is mainly because they are often 14 to 17-day holidays, while the tours outside Bali are usually a week longer. In addition, we have many divers who travel to more remote destinations such as Raja Ampat or Komodo.”
Since the travel advice for Indonesia changed from orange to yellow, the number of applications at Merapi Tour & Travel has grown rapidly. “When we were able to report that the quarantine requirement and the almost impossible Single Entry visa were no longer required, there was also an increase in conversions,” Flip continues. According to Flip, the test requirement before departure and upon arrival in Bali is hardly a reason for customers not to book. “Maybe 1 in 10 applications still has difficulty with this.”
Bookings take more time
Flip notices that it now takes more time to make a booking. “Our local agents are not yet working at full capacity, which means that confirmations take much longer than before the pandemic. In addition, we are also experiencing limitations due to cancelled flights and poor connections on intercontinental flights. We hope that Garuda Indonesia will soon open at least one additional flight to and from Amsterdam, so that we are better able to serve our customers on a customized basis.”
Loyal customers
The past two years have cost a lot of money and caused a lot of frustration, says Flip. On the positive side, they have been able to keep going. “Especially because of a large number of loyal customers who we have been able to rebook several times and other customers who agreed to refunds in installments. I am also very happy with my employees, for all their flexibility.” During the pandemic, Flip wrote and published his own travel and cookbook, Trek in Indonesia“I’m super proud that I was able to do that.”
When we ask Flip how he sees the time that is coming, he says that it is a matter of looking at what happens from day to day. “I am not planning for the (medium) long term yet. The Russian aggression does not make it any easier. We have slowly started up some marketing activities again and, for example, we will be at the DuikVaker fair in early April. I am hopeful that this year we will come close to half of what was normal before corona.”
