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Indonesia revokes visa-free entry
JAKARTA, Indonesia (Reuters) -- Indonesia is scrapping visa-free entry to tourists from dozens of nations including key markets Japan, Australia and Europe at a time when the country is fighting an image problem following last October's Bali bombings. Travel agents bemoaned the move, which has been on the cards for some time, saying it would reduce arrivals. An immigration bureau spokesman said on Wednesday that visa-free facilities would only be accorded to 11 countries that gave the same service to Indonesia. They included neighbors such as Singapore. Previously, nationals from 48 countries could enter visa-free. The spokesman said the policy would take effect when implementing guidelines had been drawn up. Local media reported that President Megawati Sukarnoputri had signed a decree authorizing the move, which also cut the maximum tourist stay from 60 days to 30. "Only 11 nations will get the facility. Japan and European countries are not in that group," the immigration spokesman said. He added that some affected nationals could get visas on arrival, but it was not clear to which countries that would apply. "We don't see that this will affect tourism. Tourists come here not because of the visa-free facility but for the tourist locations we offer. The price of the visa won't be burdensome," the spokesman said. Ketut Ardhana, secretary of the Bali chapter of the Association of Indonesian Travel Agents, disagreed. "The new policy will definitely affect tourism. Even when tourists can come here without visas, the situation is not really good," he said, referring to perceptions that Indonesia was unsafe. The Bali bomb attacks, blamed on a Southeast Asian militant Muslim network, killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists. Besides demanding equal entry rights for Indonesians visiting other countries, officials have also increasingly accused foreign visitors of overstaying or seeking work illegally. Tourism is the second-largest non-oil-and-gas foreign exchange contributor to Indonesia. In 2002, the sector provided around $5.4 billion in foreign currency to the economy. Tourist visits to Indonesia as a whole in February rose 3.73 percent to 289,764 from 279,352 in January, but were down 9.02 percent from February of 2002. Figures for total arrivals last year were not immediately available. Copyright 2003 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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