Jakarta, Indonesia – November 3rd, 2024 – Indonesian government, through collaboration between the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran and the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia initiate a program called “Familiarization Trip” (“Famtrip”) as an effort to boost tourism ties and promote Indonesia’s most iconic destinations.

This program invites nine Iranian travel agents and tour operators to travel to Lombok and Bali. The reason for this initiative is threefold: Firstly, it aims to introduce these key industry players to both places – especially Lombok, as Iranian market is already more familiar to Bali. Secondly, it seeks to enable cooperation between Iranian agents with local stakeholders through networking event. Thirdly, it seeks to gather perspective as to what the potential areas to develop are and what the hindrances have been in regard to tourism between the two countries.

The program starts from October 9th 2024 and lasts for a week. It is part of a broader effort by the Indonesian government to diversify its tourist markets and showcase the country’s rich cultural and natural heritage. As Bali continues to be one of the most sought-after destinations globally. Lombok, for instance, is located very close to Bali but not as crowded. Famtrip is also in line with the MoU between Indonesia and Iran on culture exchange programs for 2023-2025 signed during the late President Raisi’s visit to Indonesia in May 2023.

“We see great potential in attracting more Iranian tourists to Indonesia, especially with the growing interest in cultural and leisure travel from Iran. The upcoming winter season and Nowruz could make travelling to Indonesia very enticing. By providing first-hand experiences, we aim to strengthen the connection between Iranian travel operators and Indonesian destinations,” said Ronny Prasetyo Yuliantoro, Indonesia's Ambassador to Iran.

The Indonesian government projects in 2024, Indonesia will host more Iranian tourists than in 2023. In 2023, the number was 7.177, meanwhile from January to August 2024, the number has already reached 6.477, according to Indonesian Bureau of Statistics. However, that number is still far-fetched from pre-pandemic number of 16.301 back in 2017. In attempt to reignite the number to its peak, the familiarization tour includes a mix of site visits, cultural performances, and networking events. The networking events are particularly of interest for many Iranian participants, as they get to meet fellow travel agents/tour operators from Indonesia seeking to collaborate, regional government officials, and hotel association representatives. For many of them, this is their first time visiting Indonesia, and the Indonesian government is ensuring a comprehensive experience.

With this familiarization program, the Embassy and the Ministry hope to see increased tourist arrivals from Iran significantly in the coming years, further bolstering Indonesia’s reputation as a world-class travel destination, and enhancing people-to-people exchanges.