Indonesia is attempting to entice more “digital nomads” to its tropical coasts by granting a more flexible visa, according to the country’s tourism minister. Some Asian vacation locations have experienced an inflow of digital nomads, or long-term visitors from other countries who mix travel and enjoyment with remote employment, in recent years.
According to Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno’s social media post, digital nomads can now visit Indonesia and work for up to six months using a social-cultural visa. He is surer that the number of international visitors who want to remain in Indonesia will rise, which would have an inevitable influence on economic recovery.
Previously, employment under this sort of visa was not authorized, and Indonesia has yet to define how it plans to tax digital nomads, but the move has been welcomed by the Bali tourist board. Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana, chairman of the board, stated that they must use this chance.
As the island recovers from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign arrivals in Bali are likely to reach pre-pandemic levels of six million by 2025, according to the tourist organization.
According to tourism ministry data, over 3,000 digital nomads visited Indonesia from January to August this year, largely from Russia, the United Kingdom, and Germany, with the majority staying in Bali. President Joko Widodo recently chastised immigration officers for making it difficult for visitors, especially investors and tourists, to acquire visas.
Other nations in the area are also looking for remote job possibilities. The Philippines is providing “workation” packages in the Boracay resort, while Malaysia enacted legislation this week allowing qualified digital nomads to remain for a year.
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