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Number of inbound tourists grows for third straight month
The number of foreign visitors in June was up 20-fold compared with the same month last year, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), after the government allowed tourists from more countries to enter Indonesia with a visa on arrival (VoA).
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Drivers wait at the arrival area of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali on March 14, 2022. (The Jakarta Post/Ni Komang Erviani)
T
he number of foreign visitors rose for the third month in a row in June and was up 20-fold compared with the same month last year, the latest data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) show.
The news comes not long after the government changed entry rules to let tourists from more countries into Indonesia with just a visa on arrival (VoA) to support travel and hospitality businesses.
Maulana Yusran, secretary-general of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), said the surge in foreign tourist arrivals was expected, considering that more borders had opened and travel rules had been relaxed.
“Activities are starting to get back to normal, and there are fewer requirements for travel, which makes traveling [more affordable],” he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, adding that revoking a requirement for foreign and domestic travelers to provide a negative COVID-19 test on arrival had boosted tourism in the country.
Moreover, the government’s decision to allow nationals of more countries to obtain a VoA upon landing in the country rather than through a more complicated application in advance is expected to attract more foreigners to the archipelago, according to Maulana.
Read also: Indonesia's tourism jumps in April as borders reopen
Indonesia most recently added Colombia, Maldives and Monaco to the list of countries eligible for the VoA. With the new additions, citizens from 75 countries will be able to enter Indonesia through nine airports, 11 seaports and four border crossings, as stipulated in a circular from the Immigration Directorate General. The new policy took effect on July 26.
