Bali = great food, beautiful beaches, impressive service and soon visa-free entry.
From January next year Australian travellers get visa-free entry into Bali under a new ruling made by Indonesia’s recently appointed government.
The country will waive the US$25 visa-on-arrival requirement for visitors from Australia, Japan, China, South Korea and Russia.
The country’s Maritime Affairs Coordinating Minister Indroyono Soesilo said the decision was made to increase inbound travel from key markets.
Currently, the country only allows visa-free entry to travellers from Hong Kong, Macau and other ASEAN destinations, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Last year, Indonesia welcomed 8.9 million international visitors. Around 900,000 came from Australia.
Overall 3.1 million visited Bali, including 826,000 Aussies.
The island is particularly popular among hundreds of Australian high school leavers, who use the party destination to celebrate the end of their studies.
Minister Indroyono expects the visa change will increase visitor number to over 10 million in 2015 and double that over the next five years.