Indonesia to give visa-free entry to people from 20 countries

Already eyeing up a winter break in the sun? Indonesia could soon be an easier destination to reach, as the government there plans to ditch holiday visa requirements for nationals of 20 countries.

"We are proposing visa-free entry for tourists from countries that provide the greatest economic impact," said Sandiaga Uno, the country's tourism minister.

France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain and the UK are the European nations on the list, according to state news agency Antara, which reported that the relaxation is to take effect in October.

Australia, China, India, Japan and the US are among the other countries whose passport holders are to get easier access to the 5,000 kilometre-wide, 13,000-island Indonesian archipelago.

Among those islands are Bali, popular for its beaches and party scene, and Komodo, home to the fearsome eponymous lizard. Also popular is the world’s most populous island, Java, which is home to 150 million people and to sights such as Borobudur, the world’s biggest Buddhist temple and Jakarta, the sprawling capital city.

Indonesia’s government is aiming for 17 million tourists in 2024, with 5.2 million recorded during the first 5 months of the year. Such an influx, if attained, would top the pre-Covid lockdown visitor number for 2019.

Of the 16.1 million foreign visitors recorded that year, more than a third landed on Bali, where - similar to sentiments seen in Europe’s big visitor draws such as Amsterdam, Barcelona and Venice - there have been grumblings about so-called overtourism.

In response, Bali’s local authorities earlier this year imposed a tourism tax. There have long been calls for tougher punishments for what Antara labels "problematic foreigners," a designation used in the wake of a British national being arrested last month for stealing a truck and colliding with motorists, while allegedly "under the influence."

In April, Indonesian airline TransNusa added routes from Bali to Manado, a diving spot on the island of Sulawesi, east of Borneo and south of the Philippines, and from Manado to Ambon, the regional capital of what were once known in Europe as the "Spice Islands."

The government aims to make it easier to get around the vast archipelago and to attract more tourists to areas other than Bali and Java.