Travel Corridor Between S’pore, Batam & Bintan is Apparently ‘One-Way Only’

2021-03-26 , 2:12 pm

You already know the story by this point.

COVID-19 is like a math equation for less or just no travel at all.

However, it was reported that a Singapore-Bintan-Batam travel corridor was announced.

And according to Indonesia’s tourism minister Sandiaga Uno, it is planned to go live on 21 April this year.

Yet, it was also revealed that this travel corridor will be one-way only, for Singaporeans to go over.

As of 25 March, Thursday, we see a bit more info about the future of this bubble.

For those unaware, Singapore’s foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan is currently in Indonesia for a short visit.

The two ministers took the opportunity to discuss the matter and good progress has reportedly been made.

Ultimately, Mr Uno said, when the travel corridor opens would be decided by Indonesian President Joko Widodo and foreign minister Retno Marsudi.

He was also invited by Dr Balakrishnan to Singapore, which was seen as an opportunity for further discussions.

As previously reported, Batam Nongsa and Bintan Lagoi were both popular destinations for many Singaporeans before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, three spots in Batam and two in Bintan are safe for tourists to visit.

Among these are the Nongsa district in Batam and the Lagoi Bay area in Bintan, which are famous for their scenic beaches.

A staff member at Nongsa Point Marina & Resort said that previously, occupancy reached up to 90 per cent on the weekends.

The borders closing caused a huge decline and down to around 15 per cent.

More Destinations To Open Up In The Future

But the Bintan and Batam are the only ones open for now.

Jakarta eventually plans to allow international tourists to visit Bali in June or July this year.

This is also provided the country has vaccinated at least two million Balinese by the summer.

Indonesia is also considering launching a Mumbai-Bali travel corridor to back these plans.

However, some experts are sceptical especially with some travel corridors being one way and suggests focusing on domestic tourism.

The country is also discussing separate bubbles with various other countries.

These include China, the UAE, Qatar, the Netherlands, India, Malaysia, and Japan.

And if you remember, Singapore was also once in talks with Hong Kong about a travel bubble, though the situation is a bit rocky now.

Of course, in these times, it never hurts to be too cautious.

Travellers heading to Indonesia will be required to have a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result.

They will also be subject to a COVID-19 breath test detector, known locally as GeNose, upon arrival.

Generally, it is now mandatory in Indonesia to be vaccinated, unless you’re ineligible due to other reasons.

In places like Jakarta, refusing the vaccine when eligible could lead to hefty fines.

At the moment, 1,500 tourism workers and more than 2,000 people have been vaccinated in Batam and Bintan respectively.

Mr Uno said the target the authorities hope to reach before the proposed travel corridor is 30,000 recipients.

Featured Image: Misbachul Munir / Shutterstock.com