Foreign tourists allowed to enter Indonesia via Ngurah Rai Bali, Riau Islands
The Indonesian government allows foreign tourists to come to Indonesia through two entrances, namely Bali and Riau Islands Provinces.
Foreign tourists having B211A visas and entering through Bali or Riau Islands are allowed to visit other areas and return to their respective countries from the Immigration Checkpoints (TPI) in those areas outside Bali and Riau Islands.
“Foreigners using tourist visas do not have to exit the country through Bali, they can leave through other areas, for example, if they also want to visit Labuan Bajo,” Amran Aris, the Immigration Traffic Director of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights’ Immigration Directorate General, said in a press release here on Saturday.
The mechanism for issuing visas for tourism is an agreement from all concerned parties, according to Aris.
Basically, the Directorate General of Immigration follows the Ministry of Law and Human Rights’ Regulation No. 34 of 2021 and the circular letter No. 4 Year 2022 of the Task Force for COVID-19 Handling .
“In terms of health insurance, for example, based on the agreement of the relevant ministries and institutions, foreigners are asked to have health insurance, considering the existing risks.” he added.
Based on the government’s evaluation, the amount of health insurance coverage for potential foreign tourists who will travel to Indonesia, is reduced from US$100,000 to US$25,000.
He said, foreign tourists must be able to show the documents of health insurance upon their arrivals in Bali or Riau islands.
The Indonesian authorities can issue visit visas for foreigners and guarantors for a duration of stay of 60 days in Indonesia and can be extended to a maximum of six months in total.
During the 15 October 2021 – 28 January 2022 period, Indonesia had issued a total of 273 electronic visas (e-Visas) for tourist visits to Bali and the Riau Islands.
The highest number of travelers came from India with 47 people, followed by France (42), South Korea (20), Spain (17) and Sweden (16).
Among requirements for applying for a B211A tourist visit visa to Bali and Riau Islands are having a passport valid for at least next six months, a guarantee letter from a guarantor, and copies of a bank account, deposits or bank’s passbook records over the last three months.
They must have a minimum balance of US$2,000, a return ticket or a canal ticket to continue the journey to another country, a health insurance coverage, a proof of having received a complete dose of COVID-19 vaccination, and a statement of willingness to comply with the health protocols while in Indonesia. (antaranews.com 07/02/2022)
Marc Marquez, MotoGP stars touch down in Lombok ahead of Mandalika test
All 24 MotoGP riders have reportedly arrived in Lombok to put rubber on asphalt ahead of the test weekend at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit.
The circuit is hosting its inaugural MotoGP race on the weekend ending on March 20. On Feb. 11-13, riders will be taking their motorbikes for a spin around Mandalika in one of the four official test weekends ahead of the 2022 season opener in Qatar on March 6.
Six-time MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez, who is racing for the Repsol Honda team, touched down in Lombok yesterday, attracting immediate fanfare on the West Nusa Tenggara island.
The other 23 riders competing in the upcoming MotoGP season have also reportedly arrived in Lombok yesterday. Italian racer Franco Morbidelli of Monster Energy Yamaha took to Instagram to laud Lombok’s beauty upon arrival (admittedly from what looks like a resort).
Morbidelli’s teammate and reigning MotoGP world champion Fabio Quartararo also posted a scene from the Lombok resort life this morning.
All riders are required to quarantine for 24 hours upon arrival in Lombok, which is a much shorter period than the mandatory 5-day quarantine for regular international travelers. A COVID-19 Task Force official said the riders were given the concession as they are going to be confined in a so-called bubble during their time in Indonesia.(coconuts.co 08/02/2022)
Ukrainian man beaten up by fellow countrymen in viral video faces deportation due to visa violation
A Ukrainian national who was beaten up by his fellow countrymen, with video of the brawl having widely circulated online, is reportedly facing deportation over an alleged violation of his stay permit after authorities found out about his motorcycle rental business in Bali.
OZ had a dispute with fellow Ukrainian VK regarding the motorcycle rental, which ended up with the former getting beaten up in broad daylight by the latter, who had the help of four other Ukrainian nationals who claimed to be Interpol officers, as seen in the video below:
According to OZ, the incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon when he and his girlfriend, C, approached VK at a villa in Canggu. OZ wanted to hold VK accountable for losing the motorcycle he had rented from him. However, VK refused to take responsibility for the loss and accused C of stealing the motorcycle.
VK called his friends, and the four men later came in a mid-size SUV without license plates, using strobe lights and a police siren. The men, who donned face masks and balaclavas, entered the villa where OZ was at the time, before beating him and dragging him into the car, taking him for a drive for around two hours. The four men also seized OZ’s cellphone and threatened to break his leg if he didn’t give his passcode.
The incident left OZ with a bruise on the left side of his jaw and abrasions on his left knee.
The Justice and Human Rights Ministry’s office in Bali, which oversees immigration matters, is working with local police to find the assault suspects. VK has been apprehended by the police, while the other four are still on the run. Jamaruli Manihuruk, who heads the office, said that they have been identified.
In another twist to the story, Jamaruli said that the source of the conflict led authorities to believe that OZ might have violated his visa. OZ arrived in Indonesia before January with a visitor stay permit, which clearly doesn’t allow the holder to conduct business during his stay in the country.
“When we looked at his stay permit, [we found that] it’s a visitor stay permit. He shouldn’t have been allowed to rent out motorcycles,” Jamaruli said today.
OZ may face deportation for violating the terms of his visa. At the same time, all five of his assailants may also face deportation for breaking the law, as well as possible jail time. (coconuts.co 07/02/2022)
Excitement high as Bali set to welcome 6 tourists from Japan today
Government officials in Bali are set to attend a welcome ceremony for half a dozen tourists from Japan today, in an illustration of just how desperate the island is for tourism dollars.
As previously reported, Bali is re-relaunching international tourism starting Feb. 4, with the government arranging direct international flights and quarantine hotels on the holiday island. A limited international tourism relaunch in October 2021 had been anticlimactic, at best.
Heralding the new phase is the scheduled arrival of a Garuda Indonesia flight from Tokyo’s Narita Airport at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport at 4pm today. The plane will be carrying six foreign tourists, who will be given a ceremonial welcome by Bali officials.
“Myself and Vice Governor [Cok Ace] will be in attendance,” Bali Tourism Agency Acting Head Tjok Pemayun said yesterday.
“My hope is that the arrival of foreign tourists tomorrow will bring about hope so Bali recovers to what it was.”
Garuda is set to operate the Narita-Bali route once a week. Starting Feb. 16, Singapore Airlines will resume daily flights from the Little Red Dot to Bali. There have been no reports yet of other direct international routes being re-established with Bali.
Starting Feb. 4, the government said tourists from any country can come to Bali using an e-visa. For the October 2021 international tourism relaunch, only tourists from 19 countries, including New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, and Japan but excluding, most notably, Australia and Singapore, were allowed entry to Bali.
There will be no Bali-specific concession regarding mandatory quarantine to begin with, as foreign tourists are still expected to undergo five days of hotel quarantine if they’re fully-vaccinated, and seven days if they’re partially vaccinated.
Bali tourism officials say five hotels are ready to take on quarantining tourists, namely the Grand Hyatt and Westin Resort in Nusa Dua, the Royal Tulip in Jimbaran, the Griya Santrian in Denpasar, and the Viceroy in Ubud.
A quarantine package can go up to IDR12 million (US$836.88) per person, which includes three meals daily, laundry service, and PCR tests. However, the current prices were set for seven days of quarantine, and may be revised down in light of the central government recently reducing mandatory quarantine to five days.
Bali’s international tourism relaunch has been anti-climactic since the program launched in October 2021. In fact, an official said that not one commercial international flight landed at Ngurah Rai Airport in the three months since Bali reopened to international tourists.
Prior to the reopening, the island only saw 45 international tourists arriving in the first 10 months of 2021.
Tourism operators have lamented Indonesia’s strict travel restrictions and have called for exceptions to be made for Bali’s tourists.
Bali welcomed 6 million tourists in 2019. The island, which is almost entirely reliant on the tourism industry, came to a standstill when the pandemic hit.
Things began looking up towards the end of 2021, with domestic tourists arriving in large numbers to give the island’s economy a lifeline. (coconuts.co 06/02/2022)
Denpasar City Closes Schools And Public Facilities As Covid Cases Surge In Bali
The Denpasar city government has decided to close down several public facilities and schools as Covid-19 transmission has significantly surged.
The Vice Mayor of Denpasar, I Kadek Agus Arya Wibawa, confirmed that he has decided to close down several public facilities, including Lumintang Park, Puputan Park, Lumintang City Garden, and Janggan Park. He also called off in-person learning classes in all schools across the city in anticipation of another surge in Covid-19 transmission.
“Covid-19 cases have significantly surged this week. We received an additional 962 new cases from January 27 to February 2, and 106 of them were students and teachers,” Wibawa said on Friday (4/4).
The in-person learning program had been 100 percent implemented prior to this new policy. Wibawa instructed all schools from nursery to high school to begin virtual classes.
He also reminded all asymptomatic Covid-19 patients to utilize the quarantine facilities and avoid self-isolation at home.
“We have optimized our quarantine facilities and medical workers to prevent Covid-19 patients from self-isolation, as this may create a new cluster,” Wibawa added.
Officials will regularly inspect the implementation of prevention protocols in public areas. They also intend to increase the rate of testing, tracing, and treatment (3T) and ensure the availability of medicine, oxygen, and beds in all medical facilities across the city. (thebalisun.com 07/02/2022)
Hundreds Of Bali Hotel Rooms Booked For Moto GP Event In March
Hundreds of hotel rooms in Karangasem have been reserved by tourists for the upcoming Moto GP event on March 2022.
The Head of the Karangasem Hotel and Restaurant Association, I Wayan Kariasa, confirmed that 500 hotel rooms in the Karangasem region were booked for the upcoming Moto GP race. The event will be held in Mandalika, Lombok.
“According to the information from hotels, many of Moto GP’s supporters have booked hotel rooms through travel agencies,” Kariasa said.
Kariasa was grateful that this significant international event would take place on an island close to Bali, and hopes that the situation would stabilize to reduce the chances of cancellation.
“We’re enthusiastic to hear this good news. We really hope this will bring a positive impact to Bali tourism,” Kariasa added.
Kariasa hopes the government will reopen Bali Airport for regular commercial flights and appoint the island as the quarantine hub for international travelers.
“We’re asking the central government to reduce or even revoke the quarantine policy if possible, and reactivate the visa on arrival policy. It’s the only thing that can revive our tourism sector,” Kariasa concluded. (thebalisun.com 05/02/2022)
NTB Police applying strict bubble system at MotoGP pre-season test
Mataram, W Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA) – The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Regional Police has ensured to stringently implement the bubble system to curb the transmission of COVID-19 at the 2022 MotoGP pre-season test at the Mandalika Circuit on February 11-13, 2022.
Head of the Operational Bureau of the NTB Regional Police Senior Commissioner Imam Thobroni remarked here on Tuesday that the monitoring of health protocols was conducted since the riders and crew arrived at the Lombok International Airport, Central Lombok District, NTB Province, on February 7, 2022.
“We directly escorted them from the airport to the hotel,” he remarked.
Thobroni drew attention to the presence of some 22 hotels around the circuit for accommodating riders, crew, and guests of the pre-season test.
“The hotels are used for implementing the health bubble system. Hence, they were immediately isolated once they arrived at the hotels,” the NTB Regional Police officer stated.
Thobroni noted that they were only allowed to conduct their activities in the inns and at the circuit.
In addition, they are not permitted to interact directly with the public, he emphasized.
“Meanwhile, if they are keen on vacationing, then they are only permitted to visit the Tanjung Aan Beach. They are also not allowed to hang out in cafes,” he added.
Meanwhile, the 2022 Mandalika MotoGP will take place on March 18-20, 2022, at the circuit.
Earlier, NTB Governor Zulkieflimansyah had noted that the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit, Central Lombok District, NTB Province, is fully ready for holding the MotoGP pre-season test.
Australians can travel to Bali again by end of week
From February 4, Aussie travellers can once again fly into Bali, after the popular Indonesian holiday island announced it is dropping its strict border restrictions.
Today’s announcement, reported by Reuters, will see Bali open its borders to all of the world after initially only allowing in people from New Zealand, China, Japan and a small number of other countries from October last year.
However, in news that will likely stop a rush of Aussies booking a Bali holiday, vaccinated travellers will have to quarantine for five days.
Unvaccinated travellers must quarantine for seven days.
Due to strict coronavirus border control measures and a closed airport, Bali went from receiving millions of international visitors to welcoming a paltry 45 in 2021.
Bali received 6.2 million international arrivals in 2019 and 1.05 million in 2020. Around 1.2 million Australians visited Bali in 2019, more than any other nationality in the world.
According to World Health Organisation data, Indonesia recorded 10,100 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours.
Other popular Asian tropical destinations Thailand and the Philippines are slowly opening up to the world again.
In October, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce predicted travel to Bali would resume by early 2022 “at the latest”.
At the time, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said travel between Australia and Indonesia had been a “regular discussion” between himself and Indonesian President Joko Widodo throughout the pandemic. (www.9news.com.au 02/02/2022)