If I were Indonesia, I would simply close my borders to Bintang-donning Australian tourists forever. This isn’t the case. The Indonesian government is reportedly drawing up plans for a travel bubble between Australia, South Korea, Japan and China in an attempt to boost tourism.
“For the initial stage we are opening [our borders] firstly to those four countries, and other countries will follow suit, and of course health protocols will be prioritised,” Odo Manuhutu, deputy co-ordinating Minister maritime affairs and investment confirmed in a virtual news conference.
As Coconuts reports, the scheme would involve executing strict criteria for international travellers wanting to visit the country. The criteria is set to be outlined in a “in-city tourism” package. These packages would be “ladened with strict health protocols, as part of an effort to revive domestic tourism”.
“After the criteria are made, negotiations will be held with those countries for two, three or four weeks. When agreements are reached, the travel bubbles will be opened,” Manuhutu said.
“In addition to the high level of tourists, there are also business interests with these four countries as well.”
If you’re already salivating at the thought of being a total public menace after one too many buckets, don’t get ahead of yourself. The plan to reopen the border to Australian tourists has been criticised as premature. There are currently over 39,000 coronavirus cases in Indonesia, and over 2,198 people have died.
As the Australian Government fast-tracks the lifting of coronavirus restrictions, they’re dedicating their attention reopening state borders.
As it stands, Queensland is aiming for a July 10 target and South Australia July 20. With officials hoping that Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania will also allow interstate travel next month.
We’re all just holding out for the good word that we’ll be able to traverse across the Tasman and spend some time in the land of the long white cloud.
