Authorities in Bali, Indonesia, have called on the central immigration agency to abolish the visa-on-arrival policy for citizens of Russia and Ukraine following reports that some tourists from these two countries were caught working in an unlawful way.
Russian nationals account for a large number of tourists in Indonesia, based on the official tourism data, VisaGuide.World reports.
According to a Reuters report, at least four Russian nationals were deported this month after their involvement in unlawful affairs including visa violations while immigration authorities have continuously warned internationals in Bali against working on tourist visas.
Bali Governor I Wayan Koster confirmed that he urged the Ministry of Law and Human Rights to impose stricter visa requirements, including suspending the visa-on-arrival facility, particularly for Russian and Ukrainian citizens following reports of visa violations.
He said on Sunday he has asked the Ministry of Law and Human Rights to tighten visa requirements by canceling the visa-on-arrival facility specifically for Russian as well as Ukrainian nationals due to a series of violations.
“Because they are at war, so they flocked to Bali, including those who sought comfort or came to work here,” pointed out a post published by the immigration agency’s Instagram account. In addition, he noted that these two countries were singled out after their citizens’ infractions were more notable compared to those of others.
Authorities in Indonesia permit nationals of some countries to apply for a visa upon arrival in their country while others are required to apply for a visa before departure.
According to the figures provided by Reuters, the Southeast Asian country saw over 77,500 Russian travelers for a period between September 2022 and January 2023.
The figures revealed that there was a marked increase in the number of visitors after the abolishment of the COVID-related restrictions imposed to halt the further spread of the Coronavirus in comparison to 88,000 registered during the same period before the Coronavirus situation.
At the same time, Reuters figures revealed that nearly 8,800 nationals from Ukraine arrived in this territory for a period from September 2022 until January 2023.
Previously, a report noted that Russian tourist numbers to Indonesia increased nearly five times since the beginning of last year.
“Demand for Indonesia is growing daily,” the head of the Southeast Asia department of Paks tour operator, Oksana Korzh, pointed out.
In addition, the representative office of the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy in Russia said that during the first nine months of last year, Russian tourist arrivals to Indonesia reached 25,133.
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