60 days too long?

60 days too long?

A spokesman for the Directorate of Immigration recently stated
that 60 days was too long for a tourist visa, and that the
average length of stay of foreign tourists was only 12 days.

This may be true, but there are many budget travelers who
would remain longer in Indonesia if they could as they wish to
travel throughout the archipelago. These budget travelers may not
contribute vast amounts to the foreign exchange income received
from tourism, but they make a valuable financial contribution to
local economies. Budget travelers normally stay at losmen and
bungalows which provide jobs and income for local people.

I recently spent Christmas and New Year's in Cikembulan, near
Pangandaran, West Java, where the decline in the number of budget
travelers to the area over the past two years, due to security
concerns raised by the economic and political crisis, has had a
serious effect on employment and income. No doubt other areas
have been similarly affected.

Reducing the number of days available for a tourist visit
would only further deter foreign tourists from visiting, creating
more hardship for local people who have come to depend on this
income.

DENISE HILL

Bandung