Security fears skew visa status for Middle East countries

Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Bangkok

Security fears have prevented the Office of the State Minister for Culture and Tourism from granting visa-free entry to a number of Middle Eastern countries despite efforts to attract more tourists from the region.

However, the government has granted visa-on-arrival for tourists coming from the Middle Eastern countries of Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. It has also granted the facility to the European countries of Austria, Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Russia and Spain, as well as India.

These countries are the second batch to receive the visa-on- arrival facility. The first group of countries were approved for visa-on-arrival on Feb. 1, 2004. The United Arab Emirates was the first Middle Eastern country to be granted the facility.

A six-day visa-on-arrival costs US$10 and a 30-day visa-on- arrival costs $25.

The marketing deputy at the Office of the State Minister for Culture and Tourism, Udin Saifuddin, told The Jakarta Post in Bangkok over the weekend that the government wants to avoid any possible negative impacts from the granting of visa-free entry.

"We have to help make Indonesia an attractive place for tourists," he said.

Udin, who was in Bangkok for a marketing road show at the Thailand Travel Mart Plus and International Travel Show, referred to reports that Jamaah Islamiyah -- linked to the al-Qaeda terror network -- wanted to establish a pan-Southeast Asian Islamic state.

Indonesia's stance on visas differs from that of Malaysia. According to The Straits Times daily, Malaysia has enjoyed great success since granting visa-free entry to Middle Eastern countries, especially after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Tourists from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen enjoy three-month visa-free visits to Malaysia.

Tourists from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Syria are allowed to stay for 14 days without a visa.

Indonesia hopes to attract six million tourists and tourist revenue of $6 billion this year, compared to five million tourists last year and revenue of $4.8 billion.

"Unfortunately as of April we have experienced a negative growth of minus 1 percent, while we were hoping for positive growth," said Udin. "But giving more countries the visa-on- arrival facility is expected to help us meet the target."