THE management of the Bintan Resort tourist area on Bintan Island, Riau Archipelago expects domestic tourists to make this area a tourist destination as international gates have not been opened, especially Singapore.
According to Abdul Wahab, Group General Manager of PT Bintan Resort Cakrawala, said that almost all hotels in tourist areas experience difficulties due to national borders due to the corona virus or COVID-19. Almost all hotels are closed due to poor arrival, but Bintan Resort is still operating. There are hotels [within the Bintan Resort area] that open 20-30% of rooms, based on arrival.
“Currently in Bintan, only Bintan Lagoon is closed as of 1 August 2020. The closure is due to the absence of guests arriving because the company relies on guests transiting through Singapore,” he said
PT Bintan Resort Cakrawala (BRC) is the manager of the Bintan Resorts area. This tropical tourist area relies on exotic beaches with 13 independent beach resorts. There are four golf courses with renowned designers. The management also provides a variety of attractions and additional recreational facilities each year.
“We hope that international borders can be opened. And Congratulations 70% of our guests come via Singapore, the others are domestic or charter planes from China. I hope the Bintan tourist area can be opened soon and promises to carry out the new normal protocol properly,” Wahab noted.
He added that we had a meeting with the tourism ministry and local governments to make promotional programs. We continue to work with international tourism actors to carry out promotions through webinars.
Bintan Lagoon Layoffs of Employees
According to the Head of the Bintan Manpower Office, Indra Hidayat, said meanwhile, as many as 496 Bintan Lagoon employees have been terminated. The layoffs were carried out because Bintan Lagoon had suffered losses for 3 years. Bintan Lagoon has the status of a foreign investment company. The company’s contribution to Bintan has been quite large.
He said the team from the Bintan Manpower Office had confirmed that the company’s reasons for layoffs were acceptable. The company has been audited by a leading public accountant in the world, and the audit results have been declared losing money for three years.
Indra hopes that the company is ready to comply with applicable regulations, such as paying severance pay for layoffs in accordance with applicable regulations. [bisnis.com/photo special]