Indonesia assures cooperation on maintaining 'visa on arrival' facility for Bangladeshis

Indonesia has assured its cooperation in maintaining the 'visa on arrival' facility for Bangladeshi passport holders. At the same time, Indonesia has expressed its interest in working jointly with Bangladesh to develop the country's tourism sector and create skilled manpower.

Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Listyowati paid a courtesy call on Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam and State Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Sunday. During the meeting, discussions were held on the potential of the tourism sector in the two countries, mutual cooperation and various issues to facilitate travel for Bangladeshi tourists to Indonesia.

The meeting emphasised further strengthening the existing relations between Bangladesh and Indonesia. Discussions were also held on utilising Indonesia's experience in developing Bangladesh's tourism sector. In particular, it was noted that there are opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in developing tourism services, hospitality, training, and facilities for tourists.

Minister Afroza Khanam said the current government is working to further develop the country's aviation and tourism sector. Noting that Indonesia is an attractive destination for Bangladeshi tourists, she said there is demand among Bangladeshi travellers to visit the country. For this reason, the government is giving importance to the matter of maintaining the 'visa on arrival' facility in Indonesia for Bangladeshi ordinary passport holders.

She expressed hope that the existing facilities for Bangladeshi tourists travelling to Indonesia would continue and that tourism connectivity between the two countries would further increase.

State Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat highlighted the government's various initiatives to develop tourism infrastructure and skilled manpower in Bangladesh. He said steps have been taken to modernise the National Hotel and Tourism Training Institute under the ministry. One of its key objectives is to ensure international standard training along with creating skilled manpower in the tourism and hospitality sector.

The state minister also said the government is considering establishing a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) unit in the country to develop Bangladesh as an aviation hub. According to him, the tourism sector will become more competitive if aviation and tourism infrastructure are developed.

During the meeting, Indonesian Ambassador Listyowati expressed her interest in cooperating in the development of Bangladesh's hospitality sector. She proposed signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Hotel and Tourism Training Institute and an Indonesian counterpart. She said this could create opportunities for training, skill development and experience sharing.

Additionally, the ambassador assured cooperation with the relevant authorities in maintaining the 'visa on arrival' facility for Bangladeshi passport holders in Indonesia. This has provided a positive signal regarding the continuation of existing facilities for Bangladeshi tourists travelling to Indonesia.