Indonesia's ambitions to resurrect its tourism industry have hit a snag

Governments throughout the world are tightening border restrictions, interrupting international travel routes, in response to concerns about the growing Omicron strain of Covid-19. This is putting a damper on Indonesia's tourism recovery plans.

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy announced on Monday (Nov 29) that it would re-evaluate Indonesia's international reopening plan by evaluating the list of nations allowed to open direct flights to specific provinces, given Covid-19 surges before and after the new variation was detected.

Foreign tourist arrivals are expected to be affected by the decision, particularly around the New Year and Christmas vacations.

The ministry's announcement marks a significant shift in Indonesia's international reopening strategy, which began in October with the reopening of Bali and the Riau Islands to international flights from 19 countries, following more than a year of travel restrictions due to the pandemic.

In a phone interview with The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, Gadjah Mada University (UGM) head of master and doctoral programmes in tourism studies M. Baiquni said, "The new version is another blow for the tourism business in Indonesia and around the world."

To offset the impact of the delayed border reopening, he said industry players should focus on domestic and specialised niche tourism, such as health or family-friendly places.

"Relying on long-haul travellers from Europe and the US, for example during and immediately after the pandemic, is meaningless."

To prevent the new version from entering their country, dozens of countries, including the United States, Australia, Singapore, and Japan, have either set restrictions on travellers from southern African countries or postponed border reopening plans.

Following suit, Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Hong Kong have all restricted foreigners with a travel history from entering the country.

Sandiaga Uno, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, stated on Monday that the government would focus on the Omicron form, which had a greater transmission rate than other Covid-19 variations.