After having ordered some 175 environment-friendly A320 airplanes, which arrived in Indonesia's capital Jakarta at the end of September 2008, Low Cost carrier (LCC) AirAsia continues to expand its network from Malaysia and Thailand to Indonesia. In Indonesia, AirAsia will use them first for domestic flights from Jakarta to Batam in Riau, Padang in Western Sumatra, Balikpapan in Kalimantan and Denpasar in Bali.
But what seems more amazing is that since this year it is possible for tourists and businessmen in Bangkok or Chiang Mai to reach the exotic destinations of Makassar and Manado in Sulawesi via Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur. Especially Makassar is rapidly becoming a booming entrance gate to Eastern Indonesia.
To cover TIME2008, which was successfully being held at the newly-built Celebes Convention Centre (CCC) in Makassar on October 14-17, AirAsia granted me a complimentary air-ticket with the following everyday schedule:
Chiang Mai - Kuala Lumpur (AK897) to depart at 11.05 (Arrival 14.50)
Kuala Lumpur - Makassar (AK1026) to depart at 16.40 (Arrival 20.00)
Makassar - Kuala Lumpur (AK1027) to depart at 20.25 (Arrival 23.40)
Kuala Lumpur - Chiang Mai (AK896) to depart at 08.50 (Arrival 10.40)
To Manado, the flight schedule is on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday only:
Kuala Lumpur - Manado (AK1030) to depart at 06.40 (Arrival 10.40)
Manado - Kuala Lumpur (AK1031) to depart at 11.10 (Arrival 15.10)
For further information, please go to: www.airasia.com
Furthermore, special thanks go to H. Eddy Kosasih Parawansa, Chief of the Culture & Tourism Office in Makassar, to give me the chance to survey the tourism potential of Makassar and beyond during TIME2008.
The first excursion that he arranged for some travel journalists on October 16 went to the coral islands of Khayangan and Samalona, which both belong to the 12 outlying "Spermonde" island group reached by speed-boat from the busy waterfront of Makassar. There you can swim and carry out some water sport activities or study the life of the local fishermen. After a fishy lunch, we were back in the afternoon.
Another highlight was the full day excursion to the beautiful white-sanded "Bira Beach" which is located in the Bulukumba region in the southern part of South Sulawesi some 192km away from Makassar. On the way, you pass extensive rice fields, salt production sites and coconut plantations. In Tana Beru, you will see the well-known "phinisi" sailing ship building sites. Made with teakwood and ironwood and built together with wooden nails, such a ship can sail up to the Philippines, Japan, Australia or to far away Madagascar and Africa. From Bira, you can take a boat to the still unexplored Selayar Island, which looks like a shrimp and has a long fascinating history.
Back in Makassar, don't miss to see Fort Rotterdam, right near the Losari Beach famed for its stunning sunsets, and the fishing port of Paotere. Formerly called "Ujung Pandang" Fort Rotterdam is a mighty turtle-like shaped structure with five bastions and the main gate re-built by the Dutch in the 17th century. Within the fort area is the "La Galigo" Museum, which displays antique art objects relating to history and community life, such as an impressive ceramic and porcelain collection. The nearby port of Paotere shows hundreds of fishing boats and sailing ships from all over the archipelago unloading their catches or distributing goods.
Most of the tourists and travelers will come and leave Makassar at the newly modernised and enlarged Hasanuddin International Airport, which began full operation since August 15 and is 23km away from the city- centre. Further improvements will be made in line with future developments in the aviation industry.
Last not least, Manado is the newest destination of AirAsia and is located in North Sulawesi. When you land there, you will notice churches like in Toraja Land. Also, Manado is famous for its myriad of seafood restaurants - and diving resorts abound. The most prominent diving destination in North Sulawesi is certainly Bunaken Island, which is a 20 minutes speed boat ride away from Manado. The underwater gardens of Bunaken make it a great place to be not only for diving, but also for snorkeling. Nearby is Siladen Island, which is known for its nicer beach and a lot more of coral reefs. Manado will shine, when there will be the upcoming "World Ocean Conference" on May 11-15, 2009 to build understanding and respect for sustainable management of marine resources.
Interesting to note is what full-service Garuda Indonesia plans to do next as an answer to the aggressive expansion of AirAsia. During a short press conference during TIME2008 on October 16, Mr. Prijastono Purwanto, VP Marketing Officer of Garuda Indonesia, told travel journalists that the opening of the Surabaya-Hongkong and Denpasar-Brisbane sectors will happen next year and a third international route is in the planning stage. He also pointed out that Garuda Indonesia's current fleet of 52 airplanes will be increased to 63 next year.
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