Meski COVID-19 Kembali Ngamuk, Wisatawan China Ready Disambut Menteri Sandiaga Ke RI

Illustration of Airport in Beijing (Photo by Nathan John on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno stated that Indonesia is ready to welcome foreign tourists (tourists) including from China. The Bamboo Curtain country will open its borders on January 8, 2023.

"(Indonesia's readiness is caused) the COVID-19 pandemic situation is under control, even the level of immunity or immunity of the Indonesian people is above 98 percent. In addition, President Joko Widodo on Friday (30/12/2022) officially lifted the Implementation of Restrictions on Community Activities (PPKM)," he said at the Weekly Brief with Sandi Uno, Jakarta, Wednesday, January 4.

Until now, the government is still imposing a Circular (SE) of the Task Force for Handling COVID-19 Number 25 dated 1 September 2022 for Regulation of Overseas Travel Actors (PPLN). However, the relevant ministries/agencies are still coordinating to formulate the best policies.

"In welcoming Chinese tourists, we do it in principle, of course, it is open with great care," Sandiaga said as quoted by Antara.

He said that there were several requests from China's international airlines to open direct flights to Jakarta and Bali, such as Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern.

National airlines such as Garuda, Lion Air, and Batik Air are also expected to meet the demand for direct flights.

This direct flight is said to make it easier for Chinese tourists who come to Indonesia. This is because usually Chinese foreign tourists who want to go to Bali via Singapore first, then go to Soekarno Hatta Airport using domestic flights to I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali.

Another alternative, Chinese tourists use direct flights from Singapore to Bali.

For the number of foreign tourists from China and Hong Kong, according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), it has only reached 94,924 visits during the January-October 2022 period. This number is still relatively small when compared to before the pandemic which touched 2.07 million foreign tourists from China in 2019.

"Therefore, the target for Chinese foreign tourists this year (2023) is 253,000, we are very confident that it can be realized," said the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy.