TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
No inbound cancellations over mpox yet, says travel association
The IINTOA says the current mpox outbreak has not led to any canceled travel plans to Indonesia, but also noted that many travelers and tour operators seemed unaware of government curbs to prevent the disease's spread.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A mobile surveillance laboratory operated by the Health Quarantine Center of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is parked on Sept. 2, 2024 at Terminal 3 at the airport in Tangerang, Banten. (Antara/Muhammad Iqbal)
A
national tourism group says the latest global outbreak of mpox has not prompted foreign travelers to cancel their plans to visit Indonesia, at least for now.
Paul Edmundus, cofounder of the Indonesia Inbound Tour Operators Association (IINTOA), said on Monday that he could not say for sure whether operators were aware of the current outbreak.
“But what’s certain is that up until today, no one has canceled their travel [plans] to Indonesia,” Paul told a weekly press briefing of the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry.
Speaking before him, the Health Ministry’s Surveillance and Quarantine Director Achmad Farchanny Tri Adriyanto said one individual infected with mpox had arrived in the country in 2022. In subsequent years, the ministry had recorded a tally of 73 cases in 2023 and 14 new cases to date in 2024.
“The latest case we detected this year was in May,” said Achmad, adding that all suspected cases reported afterward were checked and returned negative test results.
The tourism ministry’s lead expert Nia Niscaya said the news was “somewhat relieving, but we must not be complacent”.
Continuing, Achmad said the government had implemented surveillance measures by installing thermal scanners at all international airports and seaports, as well as visual monitoring. Starting on Saturday, the Health Ministry had mandated all inbound travelers to complete the SatuSehat self-declaration form online prior to departing for Indonesia.
