TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - It is understandable that the government decides to waive visa requirements for more nationalities in its effort order to boost the visit of foreign tourists to the country.
However, we must bear in mind that the policy would be to no avail if it were not followed by concrete measures to improve the country’s tourism industries.
The plan to waive visa requirements for more nationalities was revealed by Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Rizal Ramli. According to him, starting October, the government will extend its visa-free policy to another 47 countries, including Australia and the Vatican.
The government previously waived visa requirements to around 30 countries, apart from 15 ASEAN countries.
Under this new policy, there are now a total of 92 countries whose citizens can enter Indonesia free of visa.
The point of this policy is none other than to attract as many as foreign tourists possible.
Previously, the government targeted the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia at 20 million tourists until the next five years.
The government is upbeat that the target will be achieved.
This is especially is based on the result of the evaluation of the visa-free policy at the first stage of the July-August period this year. The evaluation shows that there is a 15 percent increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia compared to the previous 4 percent on average.
In the government’s calculation, if foreign tourists visit Indonesia in a big number, in the next five years, the visit of those tourists will increase the country’s foreign exchange reserves from tourism sector that was previously at around Rp 140 trillion into around Rp 280 trillion.
We welcome the move.
We also support the policy.
Nevertheless, the free-visa policy visa must be followed with a number of other measures so that the desired goal can be achieved.
This policy must be coupled with improvement and betterment of infrastructures.
It is more than comfortable hotels and delectable food but also improvement of the services from the first point, namely airports along with immigration services.
We must admitt that many weaknesses in the tourism sector is in fact found on the first gate of the arrival of the tourists: the airports.
It must be immediately fixed.
Immigration services must be fast, efficient, without overlooking caution.
The process of luggage claim, adequate information for the tourists, as well as good and proper transportation from and to the airport must be available.
Cleanliness and security of the airports must not be ignored as well.
Infrastructures in tourist destination places, along with their various tourism products, must also be improved and prepared.
We do not want the tourists who are lured and attracted by the Indonesia’ tourism promotion are left disappointed because there are no transports to those places, they have to deal with potholes, or they have to stay in hotels that are far from being proper.
If the tourists are happy and extend their say, they will certainly spend more money.
Certainly, other than that, we must stay vigilant towards the arrival of the tourists because it is not impossible if some of them take advantage of this situation for doing criminal activities such as smuggling drugs or committing sexual crimes against children (pedophilia).
Come what may, the government must anticipate those possibilities.
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