Indonesia offers travel discounts to boost holiday mobility

JAKARTA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government has offered discounts for trains, passenger ships, ferries, and flights to support public mobility during the school holiday period, Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi has said.

Dudy said on Sunday that the policy is aimed at easing travel costs, strengthening purchasing power, supporting tourism, and driving regional economic growth during the holiday season.

The incentives include a 30 percent discount for economy-class commercial train services from June 20 to July 5 and for economy-class passenger ships from June 20 to Aug. 15, as well as exemptions from certain ferry port service fees from June 20 to July 5.

The government will also cover value-added tax for scheduled economy-class flights from Wednesday to July 5, Dudy said, adding that the incentives are expected to benefit the transport, tourism, and national economy sectors. Enditem