Those Who Want To Vacation In Bintan Kepri, There Will Be 7 Star Hotels That Foreign Investors Will Start Building: There Are Sheraton, Holiday Inn, Etc.

Illustration. (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - A number of investors from various countries have started to build seven-star hotels in an international-scale tourism area in Lagoi, Bintan Regency, Riau Islands Province.

The Head of the Riau Islands Tourism Office, Buralimar, said that the tourism sector in Lagoi showed optimism rose amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The seven hotels that are being built are Four Points by Sheraton, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Alilla Villas Bintan, The Haven, Chiva-Som Bintan, and D'Prima Budget Hotel.

"There is great hope that the tourism sector in Bintan, especially Lagoi, will rise again. The establishment of new hotels is a form of optimism for entrepreneurs that there is great hope that the tourism sector in Lagoi will rise," he said, quoted from Antara, Friday, September 3.

Currently, Lagoi hotels and restaurants have opened up to serve domestic tourists. Meanwhile, foreign tourists need to get approval from the central government. This policy is solely to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Currently, he said as many as 10 hotels and restaurants are still operating in Lagoi. The hotels and restaurants are Nirwana Gardens, The Banyan Tree, Angsana Resorts, Cassia Bintan, Ria Bintan Lodge, Natra Bintan, Anmon Resorts, Holiday Villa, Kamuella Villas, and The Sanchaya.

Activities in hotels and restaurants were reduced or adjusted to current conditions. Likewise with the number of employees, hotel and restaurant owners try not to cut it, even in difficult conditions.

"However, the working time of the employees is reduced," he said.

Meanwhile, hotels and restaurants in Lagoi that are no longer operating during the COVID-19 pandemic are ClubMed, Movenpick Hotel, Bintan Service Apartment, Doulos Phos, Grand Lagoi and Bintan Lagoon Golf & Villa.

"In 1.5 years, as many as six hotels and restaurants were unable to survive," he said.

International-scale tourism in Lagoi is a mainstay sector for the Riau Islands Government, especially the Bintan Regency Government. The contribution of the tourism sector in Lagoi to local revenue before the COVID-19 pandemic was the highest compared to other sectors.

Most foreign tourists who visit Lagoi come from Singapore. Therefore, until now the Riau Islands Government has encouraged the Indonesian Government to cooperate with the Singapore Government to allow its citizens to vacation in Lagoi.

"Lagoi and Singapore are neighbors, so close that it allows Singaporeans to sail to Lagoi, enjoy the beauty of Lagoi's beaches and nature," he said.