Indonesian Minister of Tourism Sandiaga Uno said the country is considering raising the visa-on-arrival (VoA) fee. He announced the revision of the visa policy during the coordination meeting on tourism in Bali on Wednesday, May 31.
The fee is currently in the order of $35.
“The Bali governor’s proposal to cancel visas for Russian and Ukrainian tourists also needs to be revised: the cancellation of VoA cannot be selective,” added Uno, quoted by MSN.
The intention to revise the visa policy is due to the fact that Indonesia seeks to “improve the quality” of tourists and “weed out” those who do not meet this condition. This is how the country hopes to solve the problem of increasing offenses committed by foreigners. In particular, we are talking about traffic violations, expired visas, illegal work, drug use and insulting local customs. In the midst of noisy Bali: Russia and Indonesia are discussing the launch of direct flights Jakarta does not plan to introduce a quota system for travelers from the Russian Federation cases of delinquency among visitors and disrespect for local traditions. According to his idea, it is necessary to determine the maximum number of “quality tourists” that the island’s hotels and catering establishments can accept.
Later, on May 15, Aleksan Mkrtchyan, Vice President of the Alliance of Travel Agencies of Russia (ATA), said that restrictions on entry to Bali would only affect those who are engaged in illegal activities there. If a tourist provides a redeemed return ticket to the Russian Federation at the border, then restrictive measures will not apply to him.
At the same time, the Detik portal, citing the head of the immigration service of the Indonesian island of Bali, Teguha Sugito, reported that they had tightened control over incoming tourists. He noted that foreign citizens were refused because they did not have valid travel documents and visas. In addition, they received refusals due to the presence of infectious diseases.
On May 17, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, citing the Russian embassy in Jakarta, stated that the Indonesian authorities did not make decisions on introducing quotas for tourists.Share: