Indonesia and Western Australia have recently celebrated 75 years of diplomatic ties with a reception in Perth as airlines Garuda Indonesia and Citilink signed a codeshare agreement to boost travel on the popular Perth-Bali route.
The Consulate General of Indonesia in Perth held a diplomatic reception at the Government House, Perth, on the 29th of August, 2024, marking the pinnacle of Indonesia’s Independence Day celebrations in the city. This event also commemorated the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Australia. The reception, hosted by the Governor of Western Australia, His Excellency the Honourable Chris Dawson AC APM, was attended by key figures like Jessica Shaw MLA, currently serving as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier.
In his opening remarks, Governor Dawson expressed gratitude for the strong diplomatic ties between the two nations. Shaw echoed Dawson’s sentiments, highlighting the rapid growth in various sectors of cooperation, particularly in the economic field. She pointed out that the country to which the largest business delegation was sent abroad by the Western Australian government in the previous year was Indonesia, reflecting the increasing importance of the relationship between the two regions.
“The Government of Western Australia recorded the highest number of business delegations abroad, which was to Indonesia in September 2023,” underscored Shaw during her speech.
Further strengthening these bilateral ties, airlines Garuda Indonesia and Citilink recently entered into a codeshare agreement for the Perth-Bali flight route. The formal signing ceremony took place on the 3rd of September, 2024, at the Hilton Waterfront Hotel in Perth. This codeshare agreement between Garuda Indonesia and Citilink aims to further boost tourism partnership between Western Australia and Indonesia, particularly by attracting more Western Australian tourists to Bali.
Meanwhile, Garuda Indonesia has also been recently trusted as the official airline for the 2024 Mandalika MotoGP event which will take place in Lombok from the 27th until the 29th of September. This racing event is expected to increase Garuda Indonesia’s flight frequency to Lombok as well.
“This collaboration is in line with the direction of the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, Mr. Erick Thohir, who encourages the realisation of synergy between state-owned enterprises [such as Garuda Indonesia] and reflects their real commitment to supporting the progress and welfare of the Indonesian people – one of which is through the development of sport tourism,” remarked Ari Respati, the President Director of InJourney Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), to the press on Wednesday, the 11th of September.