Visa on arrival for Holland and Sweden

In one of Bali's local newspapers it was reported that the government has turned down two countries, namely The Netherlands and Sweden, to be granted visa on arrival, among the other countries that have been proposed by the Minister of Culture and Tourism to the government.

Bali has relied on tourism for its economy and Bali bombings were a big blow to the island's tourism industry. Tourists arrivals plummeted drastically and many tourist businesses hardly survived.

The regulation issued by the government to revoke visa-free entry for many countries and replacing it with a visa-on-arrival policy has made the situation go from bad to worse.

Holland and Sweden are lucrative tourism markets for Bali, particularly for northern Bali. Singaraja, the capital city of Buleleng regency (North Bali), used to be the center of the Dutch colonial administration. There are many Dutch legacies left in this regency. Hence, there is a historical relationship between Holland and Bali, and North Bali in particular. It is an undeniable fact that a lot of Dutch tourists visit northern Bali due to this historical relationship. The government gave no clear reasons as to why Holland and Sweden were excluded from the new visa-on-arrival policy.

I hope that the government will reconsider its visa policy, putting aside political issues (if any) and focussing on efforts to improve people's welfare through the great potential of the tourism sector.

NYOMAN SUWELA, Singaraja, Bali