RI provides visa-free facility for E. European countries
RI provides visa-free facility for E. European countries
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia, aiming at attracting more tourist
arrivals in the coming five years, is now providing visa-free
entrance facilities for visitors from four countries in eastern
Europe.
Director General of Tourism Andi Mappi Sammeng announced here
on Saturday that Indonesia has agreed with Hungary, Poland, the
Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic that visitors from those
countries will be allowed to enter Indonesia without any visa and
vice versa.
Indonesia currently offers visa-free facilities to visitors
from 52 countries, including 22 in Europe, seven in the Americas,
11 in the Asia-Pacific region and six in Africa and the Middle
East.
The visa-free facility allows visitors to obtain a visa upon
arrival in Indonesia and to stay for 60 days.
"Such an arrangement will simplify bureaucratic procedures for
visitors to enter Indonesia," he said.
The number of visitors from eastern European countries totaled
less than 200,000 last year.
Andi also said that Indonesia is now considering easing
administrative procedures for visitors from China.
Indonesia and China normalized diplomatic ties in August 1990
after a 23-year freeze. In August, the Indonesian government
lifted a ban on the use of Chinese characters in the country. The
Chinese language may now be used in the tourist industry.
Because hotels and travel bureaus are now allowed to publish
brochures in Chinese, Indonesia is expected to bring in more
tourists from Chinese speaking countries in Asia.
The southeastern and eastern Asian nations are the main
tourist market for Indonesia. They contribute more than 30
percent of all foreign visitors.
Indonesia expects a steady increase in tourist arrivals from
3.4 million last year to 3.8 million this year. At the end of the
current Sixth Five Year Development Plan (Repelita VI), the
number of tourist arrivals is projected to further increase to
6.5 million, with total spending of $8.9 billion.
At Saturday's press conference, held for international
journalists covering Travel Indonesia Mart '94, Andi also said
that Indonesia will be selective in opening new air flight routes
for foreign air carriers.
"We should select those which will give benefits to us," he
said.
Indonesia, which has 19 international airports, currently
allows 30 foreign airlines to serve the country. In comparison,
Singapore and Thailand, which have fewer international airports,
are served by more than 50 airlines each.(icn)