Jakarta - To help boost the declining number of foreign
visitors to Indonesia, the government has allowed the citizens of 11
more countries to be granted visas on their arrival in the
archipelago nation, the state-run Antara news agency reported
Wednesday.
Algeria, Tunisia, Rumania, Lithuania, Panama, Libya, Latvia, the
Czech Republic, Slovakia, Fiji and Slovenia have been added to the
list of 52 nations whose citizens are already granted visas on
arrival, said Sambujo Parikesit, director general of tourism
destinations at the Tourism Ministry.
The decision came after Indonesia missed its 2006 tourist arrival
target of 5.5 million by 700,000 people. The country has set a target
of 6 million foreign visitors for this year and 8 million in 2009.
Indonesia's tourism sector has been hit by a string of terrorist
attacks during the past several years as well as a series of
earthquakes, tsunamis and bird-flu outbreaks that have so far claimed
the lives of 74 people - the world's highest death toll. Domestic
sectarian violence has also damaged the country's reputation as a
tourism destination.
A senior government official said recently that the government
plans to reopen a number of international tourism offices this year
to help attract foreign visitors. The government closed those offices
after the 1997-1998 Asian economic crisis because of a lack of
funding.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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