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Indonesia greets rise in tourism industry with visa-free travel for 43 countries
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The ASEAN Ministerial Meeting. (Photo: ANTARA)
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fter the slowing of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Law and Humans Right Ministry (Menkumham) tried to expand the implementation of visas on arrival (VoA), visas upon entry or tourist visas for tourists from 43 countries according to Letter of the Director General of Immigration Number IMI-0549.GR.01.01 published on April 5.
The new regulation took effect on April 6. “With this new policy, foreigners from nine ASEAN countries can enter Indonesia on visa-free travel,” said Director of Immigration Traffic, Law and Human Rights Ministry, Amran Aris on April 5.
After the announcement, ASEAN members also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the implementation of visa-free entry across all ASEAN countries on July 25. The agreement is expected to revive tourism in all ASEAN countries after exercising the visa-free travel policy in only six countries.
“So far, travelers from ASEAN countries have been exempted from visas, but only for diplomats and certain government officials. With this framework in place, ASEAN countries have all agreed to allow visa-free travel for its residents visiting other ASEAN countries,” said director general of ASEAN, Triansyah Jani, while attending the opening of the 39th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC).
Many strategies to safely reopen tourism in ASEAN have been put in place following the COVID-19 pandemic while still maintaining existing frameworks including the 2016–2025 ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan. This will give Indonesia the opportunity to be a pioneer in promoting the ASEAN intra-trade that is currently on the rise.
“The issue of post-pandemic recovery will be a test for Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2023. Consolidation of ASEAN pillars must intensify to produce deliverables and a leadership legacy that benefits the people of Indonesia, ASEAN and the world,” explained the Director of Information, Political Communication, Law and Security, Directorate General of Information and Public Communication, Communication and Information Ministry (Kominfo), Bambang Gunawan at the Webinar Series #3 ASEAN Talk with the theme, Visa-Free ASEAN and Accelerated Tourism Recovery, in Bali, July 22.
Once a prime destination for overseas travelers, Indonesia’s tourism industry experienced a slump during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to 2021 data by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), there was a significant decline in tourists, both from international and domestic arrivals. Throughout 2020, Indonesia only received 4.02 million visitors, a 75.03 percent fall from the previous year.
However, the government has taken steps in the right direction by putting in place policies that effectively stimulate the tourism industry. Indonesia and especially Bali are expected to show signs of increase in travels.
“With the government enforcing visa-free travel especially in ASEAN regions, the tourism industry is showing signs of recovery and improvement. This May, we’re seeing a positive change in the economic condition in Indonesia,” added Bambang.
