The government is planning to remove some of the 169 countries on the free-visa list, as few tourists from those countries travel to Indonesia.
The Law and Human Rights Ministry, along with related institutions, such as the Foreign Affairs Ministry, is currently evaluating the benefits of the free-visa policy, with the country standing to potentially lose around Rp 1 trillion (S$106 million) in non-tax revenue from the policy.
“There are some countries that have not contributed significantly to Indonesia’s income. We granted them the free-visa policy but their citizens almost never vacation here,” Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said during a meeting with the House of Representatives’ Commission II on Monday.
Yasonna added that the number of tourists from some countries was increasing, and therefore the policy made sense.
However, the ministry refused to provide details about the countries that would be removed as the review was still ongoing.
“The evaluation includes inter-ministerial talks because the purpose of the policy is to increase the number of foreign tourists, so the Tourism Ministry also plays a role,” Immigration Ministry director general Ronny F. Sompie said.
The free-visa policy has been in effect since 2015.
