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THE MINISTER of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian said that foreign tourists from Singapore had missed traveling to Batam, Riau Islands (Kepri) after two years of being blocked due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tito conveyed this after discussing directly with the Minister of Home Affairs and the relevant authorities in Singapore about two weeks ago.
“Indeed, they say that Singaporeans have longed to go out for tours to Batam and Bintan, because they are close,” said the Minister of Home Affairs during a visit to Batam, Friday (4/15).
Tito said tourists who came from Singapore and Malaysia were an important factor in tourism development in Batam and its surroundings.
However, he said, currently there are still obstacles to the entry of foreign tourists to Riau Islands, especially those who come from Singapore using the PCR test.
In Singapore, according to him, the cost of the PCR test is quite high compared to Indonesia. If in Indonesia the cost of PCR is around IDR300 thousand, in Singapore it can reach 180 Singapore dollars or around IDR1.8 million.
Another obstacle is that only certain parties in Singapore are appointed to carry out PCR tests. In contrast to Indonesia, which allows the private sector to also provide COVID-19 test services, making it easier for the public to access these services.
“The PCR service there that carries out PCR, the PCR provider is only on certain networks, it’s different from Indonesia where PCR is privatized, privatized, so it doesn’t become a government monopoly,” he explained.
The existence of these obstacles, he continued, made the Indonesian government hold a dialogue with the Singaporean government to discuss the issue.
“Hopefully, the PCR obligation in Singapore can be reduced to Antigen, because the cost is around 15 Singapore dollars or IDR150 thousand,” he said.
In addition, the Minister of Home Affairs also stated that Batam and Bintan are two areas that have busy tourist destinations besides Bali, Lombok and North Sulawesi. When this tourism continues to be developed by local governments, it will also have an impact on Regional Original Income (PAD).
“Because the one in Lagoi, Bintan contributes significantly to PAD for Bintan Regency,” Minister Tito concluded. [antaranews/photo special]
