"We are currently in the selection process to decide which countries are worth being given free entry visas," the ministry's deputy for tourism products and event organization, Vinsensius Jemadu, remarked in Gianyar District, Bali Province, on Thursday.
According to Jemadu, the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry had continued to coordinate with several ministries and agencies to deliberate on the discourse on the issuance of free entry visas.
The deputy noted that in discussing the plan, the government is taking several points into consideration, such as security impacts, countries with the highest number of tourists visiting Indonesia, and countries whose tourists tend to spend the most during their trips to Indonesia.
Tourists coming from East Asia and Europe are among those who had spent a large amount of budget during their time in Indonesia, he pointed out.
"We have now shifted the paradigm from a quantity-oriented one to another that focuses more on quality," Jemadu elaborated.
The official further noted that the government is taking into account the principle of reciprocity in selecting the proposed countries, adding that it is also currently discussing the validity duration of the planned free entry visas.
Indonesia has been granting free entry visas to tourists from 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with a maximum duration of 30 days.
"Currently, we are deliberating on the possibility to grant 30-day free entry visas (to the proposed countries). On average, tourists from Asia-Pacific spend six days and five nights in Indonesia, while those from Europe tend to stay for two weeks. We are currently discussing the duration," he elaborated.
Earlier, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno proposed issuing free entry visas to tourists from 20 countries in the hopes of boosting the number of foreign tourist visits and triggering a multiplier impact on the economy.
The 20 countries are Australia, China, India, South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Japan, Russia, Taiwan, New Zealand, Italy, Spain, and two other Middle Eastern countries.
"We will finalize it (the proposal) in the following month before seeking directives from the President (Joko Widodo). The immigration department will implement the policy once approved," Uno remarked in Jakarta on December 7.
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Translator: Dewa Ketut, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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