JAKARTA – Indonesia’s tourism minister on Monday (Mar 21) announces removing of quarantine requirements for all arrivals from overseas with immediate effect.
“With the handling of the pandemic more controlled …today we announce that the policy of no quarantine has been expanded across Indonesia,” said Sandiaga, adding a negative COVID test would still be required.
The waiver follows similar moves by Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and lately, Malaysia, as countries seek to rebuild travel sectors that have collapsed under tight restrictions.
Detailed regulations could be published on Tuesday (Mar 22), Sandiaga added.
A visa-on-arrival policy is in effect in Bali covering 42 countries, with an exemption for visitors from Southeast Asian nations. It was not immediately clear if those rules would apply beyond Bali.
About 143,700 foreign tourists came to Indonesia in January, up 13.6% from a year earlier, although the number was far below pre-pandemic levels, which were typically above 1 million each month.
Sandiaga said the government had yet to revise its target for 1.8 million to 3.6 million visitors this year but said he was “fairly optimistic that there will be an upside surprise”.
