Become A New Tourism Opportunity, Apindo: Visa Free Policy For Visits Increases Investment In Riau Islands

Illustration-A foreign tourist when he arrived at the Batam Center International Port (Antara)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo) of Riau Islands Province (Kepri) conveyed that the visit visa-free policy (BVK) for Singapore's permanent residence permit holders (Permanent Residence/PR) is an opportunity to increase investment and tourism in the local area.

Deputy Chairperson of Apindo Kepri Pieter Wijaya in Batam, Saturday, said the BVK policy for Singapore's PR holders would have a positive impact on local economy and tourism, especially hotels, restaurants and taxes.

In addition, his party also saw a positive impact on developments in the business sector.

"Many of them who own Singaporean homework also have businesses, their business is usually technology, they can see the potential in Indonesia, where they know they can invest, maybe the head office or the main office can come here," Pieter said.

"So far they have had to pay for visas on arrival (VoA), but now they can take advantage of 4 visa-free days, especially for long weekends," he added.

Furthermore, Pieter conveyed that the BVK policy for Singapore's PR is considered to have a significant impact on the local economy, especially on MSME players.

"For MSMEs, this is clearly a great opportunity because Singapore's existing PR holders will shop for our local products," Pieter said.

That way, he is optimistic that this policy can build positive synergies between MSMEs and the tourism sector which will ultimately improve the regional economy.

With this convenience, Apindo Kepri hopes to see an increase in tourist visits and foreign investors who will make a real contribution to economic growth and investment in the Riau Islands region.