The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy also predicts that foreign tourist visits by the end of this year will reach approximately 9 million visits.
The increase in foreign tourist visits to Indonesia is expected not only in terms of quantity but also quality. During the "Weekly Brief with Sandi Uno" event in Jakarta, Monday (18/12/2023), Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, conveyed proposals for 20 countries to obtain visa-free visits to Indonesia as an effort to create quality tourism. He believes that visa-free visits will greatly determine tourist visits in 2024. Therefore, his side is consistently targeting quality and sustainable tourists.
Several countries are contributors to quality tourists. Minister Sandiaga Uno also explained that several factors were taken into consideration by countries proposed to receive visa-free visits to Indonesia. These factors include the principle of reciprocity, economic impact, security aspects, per capita income, length of time and average expenditure of foreign tourists during their visit, and the number of outbound tourists (who travel outside their home country).
The proposed countries consist of Australia, China, India, South Korea, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, Japan, Russia, Taiwan, New Zealand, Italy and Spain.
Even though the visa-free proposal is currently still in the discussion stage with relevant ministries and institutions, it is hoped that this visa-free grant will be able to increase the number of foreign tourists to Indonesia, which is targeted to reach from 12.5 million to 14 million next year. It is targeted that this proposal will be finalized at the end of 2023 or early 2024.
To welcome the visa-free policy, of course, some consequences must be carried out by the Indonesian government, stakeholders in the tourism sector, and of course, the Indonesian people, namely improving services to tourists.
The visa-free policy could have a major positive impact on Indonesian tourism. This could increase the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia because it makes entry easier for those who previously had to go through a complicated visa process. Thus, this will have an economic impact that can improve the welfare of society, increase state income from the tourism sector, create new jobs, and advance the local economy in various tourism destinations across the country.
