Visit Indonesia
January 8th, 2008
The one important thing missing from your editorial on tourism (Dec. 28) was any mention of visas. Although you quite rightly said that Indonesia has much more to offer than Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, we fail miserably in attracting tourists.
The present visa system is very bad and urgently needs rethinking. Until about three years ago it was okay, with most tourists able to enter the country without a visa, simply getting a travel pass stamped in their passport on arrival that was valid for a 60-day stay at no charge and with no waiting.
But then the rules were tightened, requiring a visa to be obtained either before travel or on arrival, which was valid for 30 days only and was not extendible. These visas cost US$30. This move, aside from restricting the amount of time tourists can stay in the country, has caused intolerable delays at entry points into the country, resulting in less visitors.
On the other hand, our nearest neighbors and our strongest competitors (Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand) do not require tourists to apply for visas. These countries welcome tourists with open arms, whereas Indonesia makes it very difficult indeed.
This is probably a major reason why tourist numbers in these countries are several times higher than tourist numbers in Indonesia. In Indonesia, tourist numbers have not increased significantly over the last five years. From this it is obvious we are competing on a very uneven playing field and the rules have to be changed.
There is no doubt the present visa system has been a disaster. In addition to the negative aspects mentioned above, the amount of money collected from the system is trifling compared to the amount lost through tourists cutting their holidays short or deciding not to come at all.
The sooner we can return to the old system the better for the future of tourism in Indonesia. No matter how much money is spent on promoting tourism in Indonesia, there will be little improvement until these changes are made. Such changes would almost certainly bring huge benefits to the country.
WALTER JAMIESON
Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara
Source: The Jakarta Post
Entry Filed under: World Tourism News
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