TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno said the country is ready to welcome foreign tourists, including those from China. Starting January 8, 2023, the world's most populous country will allow its citizens to travel internationally.

“We welcome Chinese tourists by, of course, adopting a precautionary principle,” said Sandiaga in a statement, Monday, January 2, 2023.

The government revoked the policy on public mobility restrictions or PPKM because the pandemic is deemed under control. Moreover, the people’s immunity is already above 98 percent.

However, the government remains cautious and is still enforcing the COVID-19 Handling Task Force’s Circular No. 25 dated September 1, 2022, on the regulation for foreign travelers. Related ministries/agencies are still coordinating to formulate the best policy.

According to Sandiaga, there have been several requests from international Chinese airlines to open direct flights to Jakarta and Bali, including Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern. Chinese tourists willing to visit Bali have so far had to transit in Singapore.

Statistics Indonesia (BPS) recorded that foreign tourist visits from China and Hong Kong only amounted to 94,924 from January to October 2022. This figure is lower than that before the pandemic which reached 2.07 million visits in 2019.

“So we are very confident that the target of 253,000 Chinese tourists [visiting Indonesia] this year can be realized,” said Sandiaga Uno.

NINIS CHAIRUNNISA

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