Dominated By Singaporean And Malaysian Tourists, Riau Islands Provincial Government Calls Entering Cost-Free Structure Island

The Great Mosque of Sultan Riau on Penangkat Island, Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands. (Ogen-Antara)

The Head of the Riau Islands Provincial Tourism Office (Kepri) Luki Zaiman Prawira emphasized that tourists visiting Penangkat Island were free of charge for entering tourist attractions.

"Every tourist who comes directly to Penanggat Island does not charge entry fees and other costs at tourist attractions," said Luki in Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands, Sunday, July 30, which was confiscated by Antara.

He also mentioned that mangrove tourists (tourists) on Penangkat Island are dominated by Singapore and Malaysia. This cannot be separated from the historical side that is closely related to the two countries.

Based on data from the Riau Islands Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the number of foreign tourists visiting the province in May 2023 was recorded at 52,430 foreign tourists from Singapore, then as many as 15,647 foreign tourists from Malaysia.

Followed by 4,806 visits by Indian foreign tourists, then 3,854 visits by Chinese foreign tourists and 2,102 visits by Filipino tourists.

The number of foreign tourist visits to Riau Islands in May 2023 also increased by 316.7 percent compared to the same period in 2022.

Previously, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf) Sandiaga Uno assessed that tourist villages on Pulau Penanggat, Riau Islands, have a tourist attraction full of historical tourism.

"Tourism religious in mosques and ulama's graves is one of the activities that can be carried out on the Island of Stang, besides that tourists can travel to the past by visiting various historical buildings and taking lessons for the present because on this island there are various historical relics, including the Sultan Riau Grand Mosque made of egg whites to defense strongholds," Sandiaga said.

Sandiaga also said that the Laker Island, which also contains complexes since October 19, 1995, has been proposed to UNESCO to be used as one of the world heritage sites.

This is stated in the Decree of the Minister of Education and Culture Number 112/M/2018 concerning the Cultural Conservation Area of Penangkat Island as a National Level Cultural Conservation Area.