Dispar: Tourists Entering Riau Islands Don't Need To Attach Health Insurance

Foreign tourists came to Bintan, Riau Islands, after the international port doors were re-opened in early 2022. (Ogen)

TANJUNGPINANG - The Head of the Tourism Office (Dispar) of the Riau Islands Province (Kepri) Buralimar said that foreign tourists (tourists) entering the area now no longer need to attach health insurance.

Buralimar said this was based on the Circular of the Task Force (Satgas) for Handling COVID-19 Number 19 of 2022 concerning Health Protocols for Overseas Travel during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

"In the circular, the Head of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Lt. Gen. Suharyanto removed the obligation for foreign travelers to attach proof of ownership of health insurance when entering Indonesian territory," said Buralimar in Tanjungpinang, quoted by Antara, Saturday, June 11.

He said this circular was effective from 8 June 2022 until a later date and would be evaluated further as needed.

Buralimar welcomes this policy as a breath of fresh air for the tourism industry in Riau Islands, because it will make it easier for foreign tourists to come to the local area.

He is optimistic that this will certainly have a positive impact on the number of foreign tourists visiting Riau Islands this year.

"Moreover, Riau Islands' strategic geographical position because it is close to two neighboring countries, such as Singapore and Malaysia," said Buralimar.

Meanwhile, based on data from the Riau Islands BPS, the number of foreign tourist visits to Riau Islands during April 2022 jumped to 11,807 visits or an increase of 766.25 percent compared to March 2022 which was only 1,363 visits.

Even if compared to April 2021, foreign tourist visits to the Riau Islands increased by 4,660.89 percent as a result of the better handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, thus having an impact on the local tourism industry.