MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. Almost 16,000 Russians visited Indonesia from January to July this year, but the Indonesian authorities hope to increase tourist flow from Russia, the country’s ambassador to Russia Jose Tavares told TASS in an interview.

"From January to July we have almost 16,000 [Russian tourists who visited Indonesia]. Of course, we don't have connectivity, direct connectivity, but they (the tourists - TASS) can use buses from other countries like Turkey and Qatar, using indirect means, rather indirect, unfortunately. It will facilitate more if there were direct flights from Moscow, from other parts of Russia, to Indonesia," he said.

"We have [a] promotion, we also develop[ing] other parts of Indonesia, <…> not only Bali," the diplomat continued, "Because I know that many Russian tourists prioritize Bali. But we have other places nearby <…> Borobudur, Prambanan, Jakarta. Of course, we are also trying to promote direct flights from Russia to Indonesia".

The envoy also spoke about the rules for Russians entering the country. "There is a visa on arrival that is granted. I think, since March there is already [a] visa on arrival that any tourist from Russia or any other countries can get on arrival there. And also there is [a] visa that we issue here in the embassy, [a] visit visa, starting from this month actually. Because of the pandemic, the authority of giving visa[s] by the embassy was taken away by Jakarta, they decided through electronic visa. But right now, we are given again the authority to issue a visit visa, which is about 60 days, and can be extended if this is requested through the local immigration office in Indonesia," he noted. The ambassador specified that travelers also need to comply with one condition, namely to present a certificate confirming that the tourist has been vaccinated against COVID-19 at least twice. "But to travel inside Indonesia you need to have a third one, which is a booster," the Indonesian diplomat added.