Sandiaga Uno: The Opening Of Batam And Bintan Tourism For Singapore Tourists Is Still Waiting For Jokowi's Meeting With Lee Hsien Loong

The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, together with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, stated that the plan to re-open tourism in Batam and Bintan would be delayed from the initial target, namely April 21. He explained this because the government was still discussing it again with the Singapore government.

Shortly, said Sandiaga Uno, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will come to Indonesia to meet President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to discuss opening the tourism gate for tourists from Singapore.

"As an entry point for Nongsa and Lagoi, we continue to prepare, especially with Singapore. We are waiting for the arrival of the Prime Minister and the Singaporean Foreign Minister to come and discuss this with President Jokowi", he said in a virtual press conference, Monday, April 19.

The plan is for Batam and Bintan to be opened to Singaporean tourists on April 21, 2021, to coincide with Kartini Day. Permits to open gates for foreign tourists are granted in the travel corridor arrangement scheme agreed by the two countries. However, the plan has not yet been implemented.

Sandiaga said this is because the local government is still increasing readiness. One of them, preparations related to handling the rate of COVID-19 cases in the Riau Islands Province, which still has to be suppressed.

"From the COVID-19 case in Batam, we must pay attention to the discourse of reopening Lagoi and Nongsa. The Governor (Riau Islands) asked for this on March 20. But this is a challenging target", he said.

The former Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta said that to open the gates for foreign tourists, the government must ensure the various stages of preparation. For example, checking when tourists arrive in Indonesia to a certainty regarding tourist quarantine.

Currently, Sandiaga said, discussion of the policy is still being finalized at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Law and Human Rights, and the COVID-19 Task Force. Including, the Indonesian government must also assess the conditions of the countries of origin of tourists in terms of handling the COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccination process.

"We are also consulting with epidemiologists, doctors, health for the opening of this travel bubble", he said.