Zubair Qureshi Islamabad
Ambassador of Indonesia Adam M Tugio on Thursday said the Indonesian government was opening its tourism industry with CHSES (Cleanliness, Health, Safety, Environment, Sustainability) protocol and hoped soon the country and its idyllic islands and scenic spots would be fully open to the global tourists.
In a meeting with local travel operators and tour organizers, Ambassador Adam viewed the coronavirus situation in Pakistan quite under control and commended the government’s efforts and strategy to effectively check the spread of Covid-19.
As of today, I was reading that the coronavirus positivity has come below 2 per cent, which is a major achievement, said the Indonesian Ambassador.
Although Pakistan is not among the countries who have been cleared by the Indonesian government for tourism visa issuance, yet the ambassador hoped in the coming days the Indonesian government might clear the country based on its success against the virus.
Pakistan and Indonesia share many cultural, religious, traditional and historical values and customs and there was plenty of space between the two countries to explore each other’s potential in various sectors, particularly tourism and culture, said the ambassador.
He referred to his recent visit to Taxila and Lahore Museum where found footprints of the ancient civilizations of Buddhism. In Indonesia too, we have the Buddhist relics that further testify we have a shared history, he said.
The ambassador said since his arrival he was trying to promote Indonesian culture and for the purpose earlier this month on Oct 11, he inaugurated a three-day Batik exhibition at the Batik Studio at the Centaurs Shopping Mall.
The tour operators and travel organizers on the occasion assured the ambassador of their full cooperation in pro-moting tourism between the two countries. Bali island is the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia.
Similarly, the fact more than 85pc population belongs to the Muslim faith, also is a positive indicator that will encourage the Pakistani tourists to choose Indonesia for their leisure and pleasure trip, they said.
Earlier, Head of Consular and Protocol Affairs, Ahmad Firman Sejati briefed the audience about the new visa policy.
Although Pakistan does not feature in tourism visa yet the Indonesian government has not banned issuance of business visa and the Pakistani business community can apply for it, he said.
Head of social and cultural affairs, Pramudya Sulaksono in a presentation informed that Indonesia was a country of 17,000 islands, big and small, 700 languages and dialects and three time zones.
The country, he said by all definitions of tourism attraction qualifies it to be a perfect tourist destination, said he.
