President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo is considering adding 20 more countries to the list of visa-free entry nations to Indonesia. This decision aims to achieve the country’s tourism revenue target of IDR 200 trillion for the upcoming year.
The expansion of visa-free entry to Indonesia is the outcome of an internal meeting between Jokowi and members of the Indonesian Maju Cabinet.
The decision is based on calculations involving the number of foreign tourists, considering their spending, length of stay, and expenditures in Indonesia.
President Jokowi has given a one-month deadline to the Directorate General of Immigration of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights to finalize the addition of these 20 visa-free countries to Indonesia.
The meeting also discussed specific regulations regarding short-term visa-free visits, especially in certain areas such as Batam and Bintan Islands in the Riau Islands Province. This decision was made in response to a decrease in the number of foreign tourists.
“Because foreigners with permanent residence and work permits in Singapore cannot visit using the visa-free facility,” said Sandiaga Uno, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy.
During the meeting, the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises proposed 13 priority airports for visa-free entry recipients. These airports will have a special role in accommodating international tourist visits.
Five of them are located near Super Priority Tourism Destinations (SPDT), such as Yogyakarta International Airport, Lombok International Airport, Komodo International Airport, and Sam Ratulangi International Airport.
The others are located in Batam, Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, Banda Aceh, Jayapura, and Kertajati.
Here are some of the proposed countries to be added to the visa-free entry list:
- Australia
- China
- India
- South Korea
- United States
- United Kingdom
- France
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Japan
- Russia
- Taiwan
- New Zealand
- Italy
- Spain
The expansion of visa-free entry is also targeting countries that significantly contribute to investments in Indonesia, such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and two other Middle Eastern countries.
