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THE INDONESIAN government will expand Visa On Arrival (VOA) expansion policy for the perpetrators of foreign travel (PPLN) at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, to 42 countries.
According to the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno said the giving of the vision of arrival to foreign tourists would be effectively applied while waiting for the issuance of a new circular letter.
“So, the direction of the President (Joko Widodo), must be realized immediately the expansion of VOA and policy without quarantine. We while coordination and hope on March 22, namely tomorrow, the circular letter is issued,” said Sandiaga in Weekly Press Briefing, in Jakarta, Monday (3/21).
The countries whose citizens can enter Bali using VOA namely Australia, the United States, the Netherlands, Brunei Darussalam, Philippines, England, Italy, Japan, Germany, Cambodia, Canada, then South Korea.
Then, also Laos, Malaysia, France, Qatar, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. Furthermore, namely South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, India, Mexico, Myanmar, Norway, Poland, Seychelles, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, China and Tunisia.
Although there is a VOA expansion from 23 countries to 42 countries, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy continues to target the arrival of foreign tourists in the range of 1.8 million-3.6 million in 2022.
“Not we have revised, we are waiting for relaxation and handling pandemic (COVID-19). I am optimistic that there will be potential to exceed the target of foreign tourists we are aiming,” Sandiaga noted.
Last week, Monday (3/14), he continued, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Luhut Binsar Panjaitan investment was called to add VOA facilities at several other airports such as in Jakarta and Surabaya for foreign tourist visits in the middle of a controlled COVID-19 pandemic.
“Tourism Ministry strongly supports the facilitation and administration of VOA for Jakarta and Surabaya can provide convenience for foreign tourists to visit Indonesia,” he remarked.
He also explained that the government decided to expand policy without quarantine throughout Indonesia only with the requirements for the PCR test. This policy was decided because the handling of Covid-19 pandemic was considered increasingly controlled thanks to the community’s adherence to the application of a strict and disciplined health protocol.
In addition to the control of controlled pandemic, he continued, the smoothness of the testing of the implementation without quarantine in Bali, Batam, and Bintan was also the government’s reference to expand policy without quarantine throughout Indonesia.
“In Bali, Batam, and Bintan, the positivity rate is very low and the reproduction rate is decreasing,” Sandiaga concluded. [traveltext.id]
