Finally it is happening in Indonesia. Cheap airfares and the government’s recent repeal of the exit tax are leading more Indonesian tourists overseas.
The changes might increase in the number of outbound Indonesian tourists in 2011 by 20 percent, up from 5 million in 2010, according to the Association of Indonesian Travel Agencies (Asita). “The abolition of the fiscal fee along with more affordable tickets offered by low-cost carriers have encouraged more people to travel overseas.
The government rescinded the exit tax paid by citizens at international departure points on Jan 1. Previously, Indonesians without tax registration numbers (NPWP) had to pay a Rp 1 million tax when leaving the nation by sea or Rp 2.5 million when leaving by air.
Now every Indonesian can fly as we do in Malaysia.
No official figures were available for the number of outbound Indonesian tourists in 2010. According to the Central Statistics Agency, there 8.7 million Indonesian airline passengers went abroad between January and November in 2010, up from 7.2 million in the same period in 2009.
More Indonesians were travelling overseas. Nearby destinations such as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand remained Indonesians’ favorite destinations.
It is hoped that the Malaysian authorities maintain its status quo on our citizens going abroad for travel and business. Already the cost of getting an international passport is a bit on the high side compared to Indonesia.
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