Jakarta – Indonesia's Tourism Ministry in order to attract more foreign tourists to come has proposed before members of the House of Representatives to expand free-visa policy to several other countries, however the Directorate General of Immigration wants to scrap the number of parties who enjoy the immigration facility.
During a hearing with Commission VII of the House that is overseeing industry, SMEs, creative economy, tourism, and public facilities on 3 June 2026, Indonesian Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana proposed granting visa-free access to visitors from eight countries under a so-called "8+1" formula, covering Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, and an extension for Singapore permanent residents.
The ministry argues the policy is not merely a visa concession but a strategic instrument for competitiveness, citing a World Travel & Tourism Council study that found Indonesia's 2016 visa-free programme boosted foreign tourist demand by 32.4 percent and supported the creation of around 400,000 jobs.
Indonesia is struggling to meet its target of 17.6 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2026 as escalating conflict in West Asia region has severely disrupted international flight connectivity.
However, Directorate General Immigration that is under the Immigration and Penitentiary Ministry made and opposite statement, as it wants to scrap the number of country to get the facility.
By late May, at least 1,444 flights had been cancelled, erasing an estimated 160,052 potential tourist arrivals.
In response, the Tourism Ministry has shifted its promotional focus toward East and Southeast Asia and Oceania — and is now pushing for a more aggressive visa liberalization policy to compensate for the shortfall.
In general, Director General of Immigration Hendarsam Marantoko called on the ministry to reconsider the proposal, arguing that a similar policy covering 159 countries in 2016 had failed to meaningfully boost foreign exchange earnings.
His remarks took a sharper turn when he questioned the premise behind visa restrictions altogether, saying: "If we don't make it free, does that mean we are giving away our country — so where is our nation's dignity?"
