Indonesia‘s tourism sector continues to flourish as COVID-19 test requirements continue to ease

The Transport Ministry recently announced the lifting of pre-departure test requirements for all travellers, regardless of immunization status

Xinhua reported that following a two-year hiatus, Indonesia has seen an increase in the number of travellers because of the lengthy Eid vacation and relaxed regulations, according to Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

During the Islamic Eid holiday, which ran from 29 April to 8 May, a considerable number of visitors came to various tourist locations across the world’s largest Muslim population, according to Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno, with money turnover reaching up to USD4.9 billion.

This year, the Indonesian Transportation Ministry anticipated that 85 million people returned home and travelled on vacation as the government eased social restrictions.

Moreover, tourism businesses on Indonesia’s tourism-dependent islands of Bali, Batam, and Bintan have welcomed the government’s decision to waive the COVID-19 test requirement for fully vaccinated inbound visitors.

More: Bali remains Indonesia’s top destination; East Kalimantan also a must-visit province

“This decision will have a positive impact towards the tourism industry,” Mr Djunaidi, general manager of Cassia Bintan, told CNA on 18 May.

The three islands have been slowly recuperating since the beginning of this year, as officials in Jakarta relaxed foreign travel rules.

Since February, international visitors have been permitted to enter Indonesia but were subjected to COVID-19 testing that included pre-departure tests for all tourists, as well as on-arrival tests for the unvaccinated and partially vaccinated.

The Transport Ministry recently announced the lifting of pre-departure test requirements for all travellers, regardless of immunization status.

Only unvaccinated and partially vaccinated visitors are required to undergo on-arrival polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and be quarantined for five days.

Tourism will have domino effects across all sectors, according to Bhima Yudhistira, an economic expert from the Centre of Economic and Law Studies. Due to the high level of mobility during the Eid holiday, the Indonesian economy is expected to grow by 4.5 percent in the second quarter of this year.

The Property Report editors wrote this article. For more information, email: [email protected].