Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno revealed that the plan for a visa-free visit policy for 20 countries is finalizing. He explained that the plan for a Presidential Regulation related to visa exemptions is procedurally complete.
Previously, at the end of 2023, Sandiaga revealed that the government would provide visa exemptions for 20 countries to increase the number of quality tourists in Indonesia.
He said that the 20 countries were chosen based on several considerations: the number of tourists entering Indonesia, per capita income, duration of stay, and transaction value while traveling in Indonesia.
According to him, these factors can positively impact the Indonesian economy. Moreover, the government will transform green tourism to target countries with the greatest economic impact.
He also stated, the government is carefully considering several aspects of the visa-free visit policy, including the economic impact, the principle of reciprocity, and importantly, the security aspect.
This consideration aims to ensure the safety and security of both tourists and locals.
“The list of 20 countries already being proposed, what we propose are tourists with the greatest economic impact which provides, of course, the principle of reciprocity but also provides the principles of economic growth and also considers security,” Sandiaga said, as quoted from RRI.
In addition to increasing the number of quality tourists in Indonesia, the discourse on granting visa-free travel aims to achieve the target of 9.5 million to 14.3 million foreign tourists in 2024.
Then what is the list of 20 countries planned to be visa-free?
“At the top are Australia, China, India, South Korea, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Russia, Taiwan, New Zealand, Italy, Spain, and five additional countries are countries related to the contribution of investment and economic impact to Indonesia, Middle Eastern countries such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and several other countries,” Sandiaga said.
Sandiaga Uno states this visa exemptions policy will be evaluated every six months. He also targets its realization before President Joko Widodo’s administration ends.
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