Visa on Arrival
Bali has received 2.9 million foreign tourists in seven months of this calendar year. From Jan to July 2023, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport of Bali recorded entry of 2.9 million foreign tourists.
This number of foreign tourists does not include those who travelled to Bali by road.
Sugito, the Head of Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, asserted that the upward trend of foreign tourists visiting Bali is on the rise.
He said that the list of countries eligible for Visa On Arrival (VOA) has been expanded to 93 countries.
Sugito clarified that the top five countries driving the influx of foreign tourists to Bali are Australia, contributing 652,461 visitors; India, with 230,063; China, with 131,458; and the United States, with 129,137. He disclosed this information in a press release. He added that the United Kingdom accounted for 126,822 individuals who visited Bali.
Sugito pointed out that the arrival of foreign travelers during the January-July 2023 period is still lower compared to the same period in 2019.
Nevertheless, the number of foreign tourists in the past seven months exceeds the figures from the corresponding period last year.
Sugito, nonetheless, believes that the target of 4.6 million foreign tourists set by the Provincial Government of Bali for this year can be achieved. He expressed confidence in this outcome as as the global situation is improving after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sugito added that efforts are underway to bolster the recovery of the tourism sector. One such effort includes the launch of the online application for Visas and Visas on Arrival (VOA) through the website molina.imigrasi.go.id.
Dollars hits 330 in open market
Meanwhile, the US dollar further shocked the people as its exchange rate gap in the inter-bank and open market widened to Rs 25.
So far, it is the highest-ever gap in trading of the greenback in inter-bank and open markets in Pakistan.
The US dollar set a new record on Friday and hit 330 rupees in open market trading for the first time. However, in inter-bank trading, the dollar-rupee parity fluctuated around 206 rupees till 12:40 Noon.
The record-high gap in the trading of the greenback negates the benchmark set by the IMF that allows a 4% increase.
At present, the dollar-rupee exchange rate gap in both markets is around 8% which is disappointing for everyone in the country except those minting money.
