JAKARTA – The government planned to ease voyage permit in Indonesian vessels for foreign yachts. This policy will be implemented in Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 79/2011 about Foreign Yacht Visit in Indonesia.
Maritime Coordinating Minister, Indroyono Soesilo, said this policy aims to attract around 1,500 yachts per year crossing Indonesia’s border to enter Indonesian waters.
Indroyono said so far, around 1,500 foreign yachts only cross on the edge of national waters and go to the neighboring countries since they are difficult to process entry permit to Indonesia. “We will the permit by revising the Perpres,” he said on Tuesday (12/9).
According to the plan, this regulation revision covers some important points. First is simplification and ease to process Clearance Approval to Indonesian Territory (CAIT) or foreign yacht permit to enter Indonesian territory from port, customs, and immigration.
Second is foreign yacht voyage permit in Indonesian waters. Indroyono said his institution proposed it for the maximum of six months. However, coordination meeting decided to allow it for 12 months. Voyage permit issuance process is four days.
Attracting More Foreign Tourists
With this ease, foreign yachts entering Indonesia will increase. This method is claimed as the government’s effort to boost the number of foreign tourists to Indonesia reaching 9 million people in 2014.
Next year, it is targeted to reach 10 million and 20 million people in 2019. “With this effort, we expect state revenue target from this year’s tourism is IDR 120 trillion then it can increase to IDR 240 trillion in 2019,” he said. Indroyono expected every local government can maximize the promotion of tourism objects in their regions.
Indonesia Tourism Sailing Association (Aswindo) Chairman, Hugua, supported the latest government policies. So far, foreign yacht permit policy in Indonesia has not yet supported national maritime tourism industry. “Many foreign people complained the complicated permit process in Indonesia,” he said.
According to Hugua, Indonesian maritime tourism is favored mostly by many foreign tourists. Aswindo expected Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla’s governmental policies can develop national maritime tourism potentials. (Kontan)
