Diamond Beach on Nusa Penida Island, Bali, Indonesia. PHOTO: PEXELS
Clara LockTravel Correspondent
Updated 26 Dec 2022, 3:40 pm SGT
SINGAPORE – Bangkok, Tokyo and Bali were well-loved destinations before the pandemic and they continue to be popular during this year-end travel season.
Kuala Lumpur and Seoul round out the top five places people in Singapore are visiting between December 2022 and February 2023, based on accommodation search data from travel booking platform Expedia.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) and its low-cost arm Scoot declined to reveal the airlines’ most popular routes, citing commercial sensitivities. But a spokesman for SIA said it expects demand to pick up in East Asia with the recent relaxation of border controls, especially over holiday periods such as Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan 22.
SIA’s load factor in East Asia, which includes destinations such as South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong, has recovered to almost pre-pandemic levels. It was 81 per cent in November, compared with 88 per cent in November 2019.
Newlyweds Tan Ting Wei, 33, and Ronda Lim, 32, who got married in December, spent two weeks in Japan on their honeymoon visiting cities such as Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo.
Both are fans of the country. Mr Tan, who is the transformation lead at a fire protection equipment supplier, has been there for ski trips, while Ms Lim, a public servant, is on a quest to visit all 47 prefectures in Japan.
The couple had intended to go to Croatia, but changed their plans less than a month before their trip after the airline cancelled their connecting flight from Turkey to Croatia.
“Japan had just reopened and we saw friends going there for holidays. Both of us like the country a lot and we enjoy Japanese food,” said Ms Lim.
Newlyweds Ronda Lim and Tan Ting Wei spent two weeks in Japan on their honeymoon in December. PHOTO: RONDA LIM
They found that hotel prices were higher than during pre-pandemic times, especially in Tokyo, where basic rooms in two- to three-star hotels could cost about $500 a night. Many affordable chain hotels were also fully booked.
For others such as Ms Jayden Ong, 29, the appeal of a familiar destination is being able to unwind and explore without feeling the need to pack her schedule with sightseeing.
She spent nine days in Thailand in December with her partner and a group of friends. In Bangkok, they visited a slew of restaurants and bars, including Khua Kling Pak Sod, which serves southern Thai food in a refined setting.
Ms Ong, who is the co-founder of composting start-up Soil Social, also spent four days at Wonderfruit, an art, music and culture festival near Pattaya. “I’ve been to Thailand about 10 times and it is always a comforting place to visit. People are friendly, it is affordable and there are new districts to explore,” she said.
Just when I was about to put my computer down for the day great news has come out in the Bali Sun today regarding a serious problem that may have arisen from a new visa being offered by the government.
Upwards to 6,000 Bali residents who previously retired here in Bali utilizing the five-year retirement visa were concerned that they would be forced to put a large amount of cash in the bank.
It appears as I stated in an earlier article, that this probably won't happen and the government will find a way to satisfy both the new wealthy buyers entering Bali plus the retirees.
Now Tens of Thousands of people can retire in Bali without fear of having their visas violated. within several months.
This may lead to the largest rise in real estate prices in 15 years in Bali.
Wednesday, 21st December, marked the launch of Indonesia’s new second home visa. The new visa category was announced in October and is designed to attract high earners to invest in creating a life in Bali and the rest of the country.
The announcement was primarily received as a positive move, enabling entrepreneurs, high-wealth individuals, and even retirees to apply for a 5 or 10-year temporary residency in Indonesia. That said, the announcement of the new visa category has caused concern for expat retirees who were left in limbo about whether or not the new policies affected the longstanding retirement KITAS and KITAP visas.
In a statement released on the Indonesian Immigration Department website on 22nd December, officials have confirmed that the new second home visa will not affect the retirees or potential retirees who wish to reside in Indonesia on retirement KITAS and KITAP.
The news comes within hours of an open letter from expat retirees in Indonesia being sent to the Indonesian government asking legislators to reevaluate the implications of the second home visa on the community. The letter, published by the Indonesian Expat, highlighted that for many of the retired expat community in Bali, Indonesia is not a second home “but our only home.”
In the open letter, contributors explained how they were anxious about what the future could hold if they had no option but to transfer to the second home visa, having already invested life savings into building homes and communities in places like Bali.
The letter read, “we will lose our beloved staff, our community of Indonesian friends, and the many projects we’ve supported over the years. Some of us have Indonesian foster children and extended families. Many have plans to lease land long-term, build houses, and travel domestically, but all of these will depend on what happens with the visa categories.”
In the statement published by the Department of Immigration, the details of which demographics the new and existing visa categories are designed for have been clarified. The Public Relations Sub-coordinator of the Directorate General of Immigration, Achmad Nur Saleh, has released a statement “in response to the concerns of foreigners who were afraid they would be evicted and would no longer be able to stay in Indonesia because of the issuance of the Second Home Visa”.
Saleh explains, “We convey that foreigners in Indonesia are welcome to live and enjoy the beauty of Indonesia, please travel, do business, invest or work, with a valid residence permit. Regarding the Second Home Visa, we emphasize that this policy aims to stimulate the property sector by attracting foreigners who are interested in investing in Indonesia”.
He acknowledged that the IDR 2 billion (USD 130,000) required to be deposited into a state-owned bank account as a part of the second home visa application might be a barrier for many international retirees who want to live in Indonesia.
He confirmed, “Our market is very clear, namely targeting foreigners who are able to meet the requirements set out in the Second Home Visa. For elderly tourists who live on the Island of the Gods, Bali, we also invite them to stay in Indonesia and enjoy their retirement here with a valid elderly ITAS”.
He continued, “We are sure that international elites will spend money here, and this is clearly an advantage for us with foreign exchange income that can help improve our country’s economy”.
Despite being referred to in one statement as ‘the silver hair visa’ by the Minister of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia, Yasonnah Laoly, it is also clearer that for now, the second home visa is not going to replace the current retirement visa categories for the time being.
The statements confirm that the second home visa is targeted at attracting high-wealth individuals to Indonesia looking to establish a second home or new base for investments and that it serves as an additional option for some people who are looking to retire in Indonesia, depending on their circumstances.
Editors Comments.
Off the bat, it appears that the new Indonesian governments second home visa allowing foreigners to have a visa for five to 10 years will seriously stimulate the demand and therefore raise prices dramatically for properties in Bali.
The fact that these investors will not have to leave every six months to a year to renew their visa makes it all that much easier to live on the island that is ranked in the top four destinations in the world.
Bali also has a cost of living that is up to 70% less than most Western cities.
Below this article, see more information on our Bali Luxury Retirement Villas and our Bali villas starting as little as USD 99,000 They are designed to fit this need, especially in Sanur, which is now design
Second home visa policy facilitates global investors: Ministry
19th December 2022
Immigration Acting Director General at the Law and Human Rights Ministry Widodo Ekatjahjana.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The second home visa policy aims to facilitate the
entry of international tourists, global talents, businessmen, and global
investors to Indonesia, the Law and Human Rights Ministry stated.
"Let us make an analogy. Immigration has developed a 'toll road' to
facilitate the entry of international tourists, global talents,
businessmen, and global investors," Immigration Acting Director General
at the Ministry Widodo Ekatjahjana remarked.
Within this "toll
road," a "rest area" has been provided that is supported with regional
service outlets, he noted through a statement, on Monday.
These
include the investment permit service, permit for tourism, property
business service, manpower permit service, and factory construction
permit service.
These services are managed by each regional institution based on the authority that they have.
These service outlets are expected to provide interesting promotions to
attract tourists, businessmen, global talents, and global investors to
enter and stay in Indonesia for five to 10 years.
"This second
home visa is one of the entry and stay permits for foreign nationals for
five or 10 years without licensing requirements," Ekatjahjana
explained.
In relation to the unveiling of the second home visa
in Riau Islands, the immigration noted that there were several
considerations or reasons.
The first related to the fact that
immigration seeks to provide development stimulus to the tourism,
business, and investment sectors in the region.
Secondly, the
highest number of international visitors from 2021 to this day came from
Singapore. This is inseparable from the geographical condition of Riau
Islands that is bordered directly with Singapore.
"Immigration
seeks to increase the number of international tourists, businessmen, and
global investors that enter Riau Islands while also improving
development in the region," he noted.
The policy is expected to
encourage the development of the property sector by making second home
visa as the entry permit and residence permit facility for foreign
nationals keen to own a property in Indonesia.
"Immigration expects that this policy is able to drive the domestic property business climate that has improved," he remarked.
Related news: Second-home visa introduced to foreign investors by immigration, SIER
Related news: 'Second home' visa scheme could open new jobs: Minister Laoly
Reporter: M Zulfikar, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
© ANTARA 2022 https://en.antaranews.com/news/266346/second-home-visa-policy-facilitates-global-investors-ministry
“Bali’s Real Estate Demand is Directly Proportional to Bali Tourist Demand”
“The second-best time to buy real estate in Bali this century” New Baby Boomers' Demand from 25 % of the World's Population
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Recently the President of Indonesia, fondly called Jokowi, announced
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