Jakarta, June 24 -- The Tourism Ministry is pushing for an expanded Visa-Free Visit (BVK) policy to boost Indonesia's global competitiveness, stating the move could surge foreign tourist arrivals by up to 32.4 percent.

In an official statement released in Jakarta on Wednesday, the ministry highlighted travel facilitation as a decisive factor for global travelers, especially as neighboring Southeast Asian nations aggressively continue to loosen their travel requirements.

The ministry backed its push with historical data, pointing to Indonesia's extensive experience in 2016 when it granted visa-free facilities to 169 countries.

A joint study by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Oxford Economics revealed that the policy contri...