PIKIRAN RAKYAT - Tourism practitioner and expert, Triawan Munaf, has urged the Indonesian government to reconsider the proposal to revoke the temporary entry permit (Visa on Arrival, or VoA) for tourists from Russia and Ukraine.
"In my opinion, it needs to be reviewed again because this is the ease that we provide for faster tourist flows, but if there are risks, it can be reviewed again," said Triawan Munaf after the BUMN socialization event in Jakarta on Monday, March 28, 2023.
The former Head of the Indonesia Creative Economy and Tourism Agency hoped that if the proposal to cancel the entry permit for tourists from Russia and Ukraine is implemented, it would not affect the number of foreign tourists coming to Indonesia.
He added that the large number of foreign tourists who create trouble in Bali indicates that Indonesia needs to have a process to check tourists before they enter the country, and also a list of problematic tourists (called a blacklist), which includes records of people who have been deported.
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He also expressed his appreciation to the Director-General of Immigration at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights for their work in managing cases involving tourists who cause disturbances in Bali.
"But I think the current Director-General of Immigration, with the new Director-General, will be better," said Triawan.
The arrests of tourists who have broken the law have caused concern among the people of Bali. In response, the Governor of Bali, I Wayan Koster, has suggested to the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia that the entry permit for citizens of Russia and Ukraine visiting Bali be revoked.
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"I have sent a letter to the Minister of Law and Human Rights and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to revoke the Visa on Arrival for Russian and Ukrainian citizens who want to go to Bali," said I Wayan Koster.