The Riau Islands Governor has called on Bintan and Batam suppliers to enhance their event facilities, to help advance the promotion of the region as a premier destination for business events.
Emphasising the need for enhanced facilities and event quality, Ansar Ahmad, the governor, expressed this vision during the recent Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (IHRA) National Coordination Meeting in Batam.
Ansar also advocated for collaborative promotional efforts with neighbouring countries like Singapore and Malaysia, utilising regional meetings such as IMT-GT (Indonesia–Malaysia–Thailand Growth Triangle) – held in September last year – to strengthen ties and attract more participants.
“We will continue to organise events in the Riau Islands to increase arrivals,” he added.
Guntur Sakti, the head of the Riau Islands Provincial Tourism Office, also outlined plans to develop not only Batam and Bintan, but also Karimun and Tanjung Pinang as free trade zones, aiming to enhance their appeal to visitors.
Ansar also requested a change to the visa policy for foreign tourists during the National Coordination Meeting. His proposal included revoking the visa on arrival (VOA) policy in favour of a visa-free approach or introducing a shorter visa facility with lower tariffs, considering a traveller’s average three-day stay in the region.
In response, Sandiaga Uno, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, shared: “The Ministry has proposed a short-term visa rate of US$10 per foreign tourist for seven days in the Riau Islands. However, the implementation of this policy, particularly for visitors from (outside of South-east Asia) is awaiting tariff guidelines from the Ministry of Finance.”
At press time, Indonesia’s Ministry of Law and Human Rights has prepared a short-term visa with a maximum duration of seven days, applicable at five immigration checkpoints in Batam, Bintan, Karimun, and Tanjung Pinang. However, the final implementation hinges on the tariff decisions from the Ministry of Finance.
Highlighting positive tourism growth, the Riau Islands witnessed a more than 50 per cent increase in visitor arrivals in 2023 compared to 2022, totalling 1.5 million visits. The majority of visitors came from Singapore, Malaysia, China, and the Philippines. Meanwhile, domestic tourist visits from January to November 2023 amounted to more than two million people.
