While many countries have recently reopened to foreign tourists, Indonesia has decided, according to various media reports, to postpone the opening of the borders to foreign tourists until probably the end of December this year. Since March this year, a travel ban for foreign tourists has been in effect for Indonesia. This is due to the corona pandemic that is still prevalent worldwide. Indonesia has about 270 million inhabitants, of which more than 133.000 corona infections have been registered in Indonesia and about 6.000 deaths due to the effects of COVID-19.
Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investments, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said CNN Indonesia that Indonesia would open the tourism sector pass to foreign tourists at the end of 2020 and hopes that this will restore domestic tourism. He said this in a Webinar held by APINDO last Thursday.
The island of Bali is the most visited place in Indonesia by foreign tourists and about 60 percent of the economy depends on tourism. It is not yet known whether the holiday island Bali which initially would reopen to foreign tourists from 11 September, will open anyway. This is waiting. Since the end of July, local people from Indonesia are allowed to re-enter Bali. The holiday island of Bali, like many other countries, is suffering greatly from this corona crisis, normally it is bursting with tourists. It has been terribly quiet for months now on the beaches and attractions of this island.
As of 16 August, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also changed the status of the travel advice from yellow to orange for parts of the following countries (essential travel only): Belgium: Brussels; France: Paris and Bouches de Rhône (the Marseille area); Spain: Navarre, Madrid, Burgos, Salamanca in the region of Castile and León, Almeria in the region of Andalusia and the Balearic Islands including Mallorca and Ibiza. The Dutch government advises to go into quarantine for 14 days upon return to the Netherlands from these areas.
Also read: No direct flights between the Netherlands and Morocco
