China approves Indonesia as tourist destination

JAKARTA (JP): The People's Republic of China has included Indonesia as one of its official tourist destinations for citizens, Minister of Culture and Tourism I Gede Ardika said here on Wednesday.

The minister said that, with the new status, Indonesia had become one of several tourist destinations recommended by the Chinese government to its citizens.

"With issuance of the approval there will be no obstacle for Chinese tourists to come here," Ardika said during a meeting with business people from the tourism industry.

The minister said that China's decision was made after the Indonesian government removed all barriers which previously hampered Chinese tourists.

According to the minister, the Indonesian government had eased restrictions imposed on Chinese citizens obtaining visa permits from the Indonesian embassy in Shanghai as part of the criteria that Indonesia had to meet before being included as one of the country's official tourist destinations.

Ardika said that Chinese citizens could now obtain their visa permits in one day, at a cost of US$35.

"I've checked it out, and I found that there is no protracted procedure and additional charges any more," Ardika said.

Ardika said that the relaxation of immigration procedures would not cause an influx of Chinese immigrants into Indonesia as many people feared.

The minister said that the Indonesian government had received a guarantee that the Chinese tourists would return to China before their visas expired.

To ensure that the Chinese will not abuse their visa, the Chinese government will only allow its citizens to travel to Indonesia in tour groups which are organized by one of 65 authorized agents.

The 65 Chinese travel agents are responsible for the arrival and departure of their clients and are subject to legal penalties if proven irresponsible. They will be partnered with Indonesian travel agents certified by a board of supervisors, soon to be established by the government and the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (Asita).

The Indonesian government eased the strict immigration regulations imposed on Chinese citizens following the visit of President Abdurrahman Wahid to China late last year.

"We hope through that measure we can lure a bigger portion of the 10.3 million Chinese tourists expected to travel out of China this year," Ardika said.

However, the minister warned that Indonesia had to be realistic as the necessary systems required to service so many Chinese tourists had yet to be established.

"If Indonesia welcomes a great number of Chinese tourists into the country without proper preparations, they might have a bad time here and not want to come back," Ardika said.

Mandarin-speaking personnel in the tourism industry, of which there is a lack, is one of the key ingredients in making Chinese tourists comfortable, he said.

"We have asked for the assistance of the Chinese government to create language competency standards for our personnel," Ardika said.

That's a great amount of homework for the Indonesian government to do, and the tourism industry in particular, he concluded. (03)