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Karachi: Indonesian Consulate General in Karachi organized an informal dialogue on Indonesian Visa Policy to discuss the policy with travel and tour operators at a local hotel.
Mr. Rossalis R. Adenan, Consul General of Indonesia said on this occasion that Pakistan and Indonesia both have excellent and long-standing brotherly relations. Indonesian is the biggest archipelagic states in the world with many interesting tourist objects which become favourite destinations for foreign tourists.
He said that the number of Pakistani tourists annually visiting other ASEAN countries, such as Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, is much more than the one to Indonesia. The number of foreign tourists to Indonesia has been increasing in the last three years and the Indonesian government targeted more than 8 million foreign tourists this year.
Therefore, the Indonesian Consulate General intends to better facilitate Pakistani tourists by providing better service. He also shed light through statistics on the number of Pakistani tourists to Indonesia during several years which he believed still below the real potential.
He said that core reason behind lower rate of Pakistani tourists towards Indonesia may be hurdles in visa policy and the Indonesian officials and the government want to improve the policy with the support of relevant circles in Pakistan.
He said that 13 countries of the world including Pakistan have been catered in Calling Visa Countries group, due to several reasons. Applicants from the countries of the Group, have to get approval from the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights Clearance House for visas.
On the occasion, Chairman of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan Yahya Polani said that it was our duty to promote a Muslim country like Indonesia in tourism sector. He said that current rate of tourists from Pakistan to Indonesia is very low and travel agencies could play a vital role in raising the rate. He also appealed all association members to support Indonesia in promoting its tourism.
Travel agents representative among others stressed the CG to suggest his government to adopt Turkey’s model of granting visa on arrival at the airports. They also suggested him to make a profile of reliable, stabled and well known travel agencies so as visas could be issued to applicants on their assurance.
For more information, contact:
Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia
Karachi, Pakistan
E/1-5 Shahrah-e-Iran, Clifton,
Karachi (Pakistan)
Tell: +92-21 35874623,
Fax: 35874483