RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia is expanding visa-free access for several countries. Event, at the same time, the country is also fostering tourism connectivity as part of broader efforts to increase foreign tourist arrivals and support economic growth.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, made the statement during the 2026 Tourism National Coordination Meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. He viewed that from ASEAN tourism sector.

"ASEAN has big potential in supporting tourism growth, especially when Thailand and Malaysia that can attract more than 35 million foreign tourists," Airlangga said as quoted from his ministry's press release.

The visa-free policy is expected to garner 2.5 million visits. The initial targets include Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Macau.

Hopefully, the policy increases visits from permanent residents in Singapore. This specifically focuses on Batam, Bintan, and Karimun, which serve as key regional tourism gateways.

In addition, the Indonesian government said that the tourism sector can plays a larger role in supporting Indonesia’s economic expansion, which reached 5,61% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026. Authorities are targeting tourism to contribute 5% to national GDP and generate USD39,4 billion in foreign exchange earnings.

To support the tourism push, the government has designated 11 tourism Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and expanded the number of international airports to 37 in an effort to improve accessibility and connectivity.

The government is also seeking to improve tourism quality through stronger human resource development, certification programs, destination safety standards, and better tourism infrastructure. Authorities are additionally accelerating the development of a single licensing platform for international events to simplify event organization in Indonesia.

Based on the government data, Indonesia recorded 15,39 million foreign tourist arrivals and 1,2 billion domestic tourist trips throughout 2025. In the early months of 2026, foreign tourist arrivals reached 3,44 million visits, while domestic travel totaled 319 million trips.