India on Indonesia’s visa-free travel list

Indians may no longer require visas to enter Indonesia, as the next batch of countries for visa free facility is to be announced later this year and India will feature in that list. The long awaited demand for direct flights between the two countries may

It is not just India which is promoting its tourism segment by introducing e-Tourist Visa to various countries. Joining the bandwagon is Indonesia that is now looking at visa free entry for Indian travellers. The Ministry of Tourism, Indonesia is contemplating adding India in the list of countries that are extended free visa by the end of the next month. This was revealed by Arief Yahya, Tourism Minister, Indonesia.

Talking about the new development, Yahya said, “We have not done enough for the Indian market till now. We hope this initiative will act as a catalyst that will lead to direct connectivity between the two countries. Our govern- ment is going to soon have discussion with India’s Civil Aviation Ministry to have direct flight between the two countries.”

The move is expected to push airlines in both the countries to begin direct air connectivity, which is a long-standing demand from the industry. The country will look at adding direct connectivity from New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, Yahya added. Earlier this year, the Government of Indonesia had rolled out visa free entry to citizens of 45 countries, including Asian markets such as China, Japan and South Korea. Indonesia is now looking to add 48 countries to its list of visa free entry, thus taking the total to 93 countries by the end of this year. Visa-free arrivals are valid for 30 days in the country.

The Tourism Minister of Indonesia was in India at the recently concluded PATA Travel Mart in Bengaluru. Indonesia is gear- ing up to host the PATA Travel Mart from September 7-9, 2016.

According to Igde Pitana, Deputy Minister for Tourism, Indonesia, it is the right time to create new demand from the Indian market. “There has been a 10-fold increase in our marketing budget for India compared to the last year. We will engage in focused trade and consumer activities in cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Kolkata,” Pitana said. At present, the country receives more honeymooners and leisure travellers from India. Post the direct connectivity, it will look at MICE travellers in a big way, Pitana affirmed. The country is also looking at becoming a golfers’ top destination. “We are now also seeing a huge spurt in demand from the outbound golf travellers in India. We recently organised golf for an Indian incentive group last week and 600 more Indian golfers are expected to play in Indonesia this month. Indonesia will engage with golf associations in India to tap this segment as well.”

Indonesia recorded 2,40,000 Indian arrivals in 2014 and is expecting to welcome over 2,70,000 arrivals from India this year.