SalamAir's New Oman-Indonesia Route Opens Gateway to Gulf Tourists as Jakarta Targets High-Spending Travelers

MEDAN, Investortrust.id — Indonesia has secured a new direct air connection to the Middle East after Oman's low-cost carrier SalamAir launched nonstop flights between Muscat and Medan, strengthening the country's push to attract affluent Gulf travelers while expanding tourism beyond Bali.

The inaugural flight landed at Kualanamu International Airport in North Sumatra on Saturday, marking the first commercial nonstop service linking Muscat with Medan. Indonesian officials believe the route could transform North Sumatra into a new entry point for visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

The new route comes as Indonesia intensifies efforts to diversify its tourism markets and reduce its dependence on traditional visitor sources such as Southeast Asia, China, and Australia. Middle Eastern travelers are among the world's highest-spending tourists, typically staying longer and spending more on luxury accommodation, family vacations, wellness travel, and halal-friendly experiences.

For North Sumatra, the connection provides a significant boost to Lake Toba—one of Indonesia's priority tourism destinations—as well as hotels, airlines, restaurants, travel operators, and local businesses across the region.

Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana called the new service a strategic milestone in expanding Indonesia's international connectivity.

"We welcome SalamAir's inaugural Muscat-Medan flight. This direct route not only strengthens connectivity between Indonesia and Oman but also creates greater opportunities for travelers from the Middle East to explore Indonesian destinations, particularly North Sumatra and Lake Toba," she said in a statement released Sunday.

Officials said Muscat serves as an important aviation hub linking Indonesia with major cities across the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. That network could substantially widen Indonesia's reach into one of the world's fastest-growing outbound travel markets.

The Tourism Ministry's Deputy for Marketing, Ni Made Ayu Marthini, said Middle Eastern visitors represent a particularly attractive segment because of their strong demand for family vacations, Muslim-friendly tourism, luxury travel, wellness retreats, eco-tourism and specialty travel experiences.

"The opening of this route aligns with our strategy to improve accessibility, increase the quality of international arrivals, and distribute tourism more evenly beyond Bali," Marthini said. "North Sumatra has significant potential to become a gateway for visitors from the Middle East."

The ministry is encouraging local tourism businesses to develop customized travel packages tailored to Gulf travelers' preferences, while strengthening partnerships with airlines, regional governments, hotels and tour operators to maximize the route's commercial potential.

Officials also expect the additional connectivity to generate broader economic benefits through higher hotel occupancy, increased restaurant spending, stronger demand for transportation services, growth for small businesses and creative industries, and longer average visitor stays.

Indonesia has made expanding direct international air links a central pillar of its tourism recovery strategy, aiming to attract higher-value travelers while developing destinations outside Bali into globally competitive tourism hubs. The SalamAir route represents another step toward that goal, giving North Sumatra its first direct gateway to one of the world's highest-spending travel markets.