That visa-free entry will be granted at five international airports in Medan, Jakarta, Batam, Surabaya and Bali, while monitoring and security will be tightened. Requirements for those arriving at sea ports include tourist arrivals from Singapore or Johor to Batam ferry terminal by using ferry remain unclear.

In 2014, 9 million tourists visited Indonesia generating $10 billion in revenue. This year the government in Jakarta set a revenue target of $12 billion.

Previously, Indonesia granted tourist visa waivers to only 15 countries (Citizens from the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as Hong Kong, Macau, Ecuador, Chile and Peru)

The thirty countries that would exempt the visa obligation are partially Asia, Europe, USA, and the Middle East. For the Asia-Pacific region among China, Japan, and South Korea. For countries in America, for example Canada, New Zealand, and Mexico.

From Europe, the Middle East, and Africa almost all countries. Mentioned among Russia, the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, and Sweden. Also there are Austria, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and South Africa.

The visa waiver is meant to enhance tourist arrivals to Indonesia, but the government also admits that there is a risk of the new arrangement being abused. The Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Yasonna Laoly, has indicated that the government has worries that when this new policy comes into effect, some tourists may try circumventing immigration laws, especially those from China. 3,300 such cases involving Chinese tourists were reported in 2014.

Yasonna also said that only five international airports in Medan, Jakarta, Batam, Surabaya and Bali will be available for the implementation of the new visa-free regulations, with monitoring of travelers being made tighter in all of them. Any foreign tourist who will be found smuggling any illegal items like drugs into the country will suffer serious consequences.

One conspicuous absence from the list is neighboring Australia, which made up nearly 12 percent of all foreign tourists to Indonesia last year.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya claims Australia was excluded because of its own tourism policy.

“Australia applies a universal visa policy, which requires all people coming to Australia to possess a visa, including Indonesians. Therefore, a reciprocity principle applies here in Indonesia,” he said.