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Tourism recovery faces setback amid fresh COVID-19 scare
The Tourism Ministry plans to reevaluate international reopening plans for Bali and the Riau Islands due to concerns over the emerging Omicron variant of COVID-19.
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A man takes a selfie on Lovina Beach in Bali on July 3, 2020. (Courtesy of Kemenparekraf/-)
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ndonesia’s tourism recovery plans are facing setbacks as governments around the world tighten border restrictions, disrupting international travel routes, in response to concerns over the emerging Omicron variant of COVID-19.
The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry said on Monday it would reevaluate Indonesia’s international reopening plan by reviewing the list of countries allowed to open direct flights to certain provinces, citing COVID-19 spikes before and after the new variant was discovered. The decision is expected to affect foreign tourist arrivals, particularly during the New Year and Christmas holidays.
The ministry’s statement signals a turnaround in Indonesia's international reopening plan, which started when Bali and the Riau Islands were reopened to international flights from 19 countries in October, after over a year of travel restrictions due to the pandemic.
“The new variant is another blow for the tourism industry in Indonesia and across the world,” Gadjah Mada University (UGM) head of master and doctoral programs in tourism studies M. Baiquni told The Jakarta Post in a phone call on Tuesday.
He said industry players needed to focus on domestic and specialized interest tourism such as health or family-friendly destinations, to sustain the impact from delayed border reopening.
“It is irrelevant to rely on long-haul tourists from Europe and the United States, for example during and immediately after the pandemic.”
Dozens of countries including the US, Australia, Singapore and Japan have either imposed restrictions on travelers from southern African countries or delayed border reopening plans to prevent the new variant from entering their respective countries.
