JAKARTA – The authorities in Indonesia are set to allow citizens from 20 countries to visit the country without the need for a visa.
In this regard, Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has unveiled plans to extend visa-free entry to travelers from 20 additional countries, including key tourism markets.
The visa-free entry would be in effect from October this year and it has been confirmed officially that a list has already been submitted.
“The selection process is nearly complete, and the list of 20 destinations has been submitted. We are advocating for visa-free entry for tourists from countries that provide the greatest economic impact,” Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said.
Ministry officials compiled the list of these nations last December, which includes significant tourism markets such as Australia, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, the UK, and the US.
It is to be highlighted that the lifting of social distancing protocols after COVID-19 has triggered measures from different countries to boost tourism and ease entry of tourists in a bid to spur the economy.
As far as the stats are concerned, Indonesia welcomed approximately 11.7 million tourists in the past year though the figure is considerably lower than those of other Southeast Asian countries.
In the first three months of 2024 alone, around three million foreign visitors arrived in Indonesia but the government aims to boost this number to 17 million by the end of the year.
