No More Indonesia Visa on Arrival, Some Pissed Off.
Girl on Bali beach, image Getty Images.
As of Jan 25, the Indonesian Law and Human Rights Ministry announced that they were scrapping the visa-on-arrival scheme, which permitted non-ASEAN citizens to pay US$10 at certain Indonesian points of entry for up to seven days. Visitors who enter Indonesia would have to pay US$25 for a 30-day single entry visa.
Not surprisingly, people are teed off. Reports the Straits Times of Singapore:
Mr Andrew Dixon, one of the owners of the Nikoi Island resort off Bintan, pointed out that many visitors went to the islands with a view to only a day of golf. "It will increase the cost of a visit to Bintan for a family of four by US$60," he told The Sunday Times. "The weekend travel market is already price-sensitive as it competes with Malaysia."
Indonesian officials, on the other hand, have been quick to extol the bright sect of the change. “Tourists could now stay longer to care for more of the country, as their 30-day stay could then be extended by some other month without them having to leave the country,” reports the Straits Times. Not everyone is convinced, though.
To reflect the presto change-o, I’ve updated my Indonesia Travel Information page. The information, unlike the Indonesia visit visa, is free.