Indonesia's national carrier Garuda is set to introduce flights between Abu Dhabi and its hub in Jakarta next month as part of efforts to attract tourism from Bahrain and other GCC countries.

The Garuda Indonesia flights are expected to begin as early as December 2, said Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies west Java chapter president Maktal Hadiyat.

"The direct flights will increase passenger traffic from Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait," said the official, who is also the managing director of Bandung-based tour operator Batik Holidays.

"We already have similar flights from Jeddah to Jakarta, but the additional flights will increase passenger flow with travellers and tourists from the GCC willing to travel to Indonesia."

Details of the flights to Abu Dhabi were revealed during a meeting in the city of Bandung organised by the Indonesian Embassy in Bahrain and Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry for Bahrain-based journalists.

Meanwhile, a separate event was held for representatives from leading tour operators, who were briefed about the latest strategies to increase tourism.-TradeArabia News service