Batam and Bintan are hopeful that the travel bubble would attract tourists back to the islands after the tourism industry suffered during the epidemic.
Carol Pou, a corporate trainer based in Singapore, used to go to the Indonesian island of Batam on a regular basis before the epidemic. She died in the outbreak.
As a result, when plans for a travel bubble between Singapore and the neighboring islands of Batam and Bintan were unveiled last month, Pou received a deluge of texts from friends and family informing him of the developments.
"They were all aware of how delighted I was going to be about it," Pou said in an interview with Al Jazeera. "The first thing I did was send a message to the resort," I recall. 'May you tell me when I can go?' I inquired. "If I had the opportunity to fly to Batam tonight, I would."
After weeks of uncertainty about when the plan would begin, Pou will finally have her opportunity on February 18 after Singaporean officials gave long-awaited authorisation for ferries to and from Batam this week.
Batam and Bintan, two Indonesian islands that are part of the Riau Archipelago, are very popular among visitors from Singapore, which is located nearby. Prior to the introduction of COVID-19, inhabitants of the city-state could take a 45-minute boat voyage to one of the islands' several beach resorts or golf courses for a weekend escape.
When the epidemic struck, tourism came to a grinding halt.
According to the Riau Islands Central Statistics Bureau, the number of tourists visiting Batam and Bintan has dropped by more than 90 percent as a result of the epidemic. Foreign tourists flocked to the islands in large numbers in 2019, placing them second only to Bali as Indonesia's most popular tourist destination, with more than 2.5 million international visitors. Of them, 1.9 million flocked to Batam, with the vast majority of them being from Singapore and Malaysia, which are nearby.
‘Catastrophic’
Batam Tourism and Promotion Board head Edy Sutrisno told Al Jazeera that the island used to get an average of 150,000 foreign tourists each month. "We used to receive an average of 150,000 international visitors per month," he said. "However, from March 2019 until the present, it has had fewer than 200 visits each month." Consider the devastation it will have on the island's tourist business. "It's a major catastrophe."
Although Sutrisno is pessimistic about the future, the newly announced travel bubble provides some comfort.
Sutrisno described the event as "a breath of fresh air in the middle of our fight." "At the moment, the bubble is still restricted to the Nongsa district of Batam and the Lagoi district of Bintan, but the rest of the country is looking forward to it." "We can't wait to get started."
On January 24, the Indonesian government confirmed the existence of a travel bubble. The crossing from Batam or Bintan to Singapore, on the other hand, has been prohibited for some weeks now. The Singaporean government awarded entry permission for ferries from Batam on Monday, allowing them to begin operating on February 18. So yet, no permits have been received for ferries departing from Bintan.
Because of the restrictions on maritime crossings, the islands have yet to witness a significant increase in foreign visitors.
According to Charmane Sia, an assistant manager at WTS Travel, one of Singapore's largest travel agencies, the fact that the agreement has not yet been reciprocated is a huge stumbling block for tourists.
"There is undoubtedly a surge in consumer queries for travel to Batam and Bintan, but the take-up rate for the travel corridor plan is low," Sia told Al Jazeera. "However, the take-up rate for the travel corridor scheme is low."
According to the Singapore Tourism Board, "as of today, Singaporeans returning from the two tourist islands must still serve a seven-day stay-home notice since Singapore has yet to reciprocate Indonesia's action to open up for quarantine-free travel by sea."
Singapore stated in November that it will establish a unilateral vaccinated travel lane (VTL) with Indonesia for passengers travelling from Jakarta to Changi International Airport. The VTL system permits those who are completely vaccinated to enter Singapore without having to undergo a seven-day home quarantine, although it is not applicable to maritime travel.
Pou, the corporate trainer, said that she would be willing to undergo home quarantine if it meant she could go to one of her favorite countries, which is Thailand.
"At the moment, I'm prepared to abide by any rules or regulations because I can't wait to go back to work." "However, the fact that we have to perform PCR many times would undoubtedly dissuade many people from coming," Pou added, referring to the need that travelers undergo three COVID-19 tests before entering the country. "The PCR procedure costs 150 Singaporean dollars ($111) in this country."
It is a weekend vacation destination for the most of the time," says the author. As a result, if I am required to undergo many PCRs, I will be unable to see the doctor as often as I used to."
Pou believes that if authorities adopted the less expensive Antigen Rapid Test, the travel bubble would have a better chance of succeeding (ART).
"For example, the Malaysian Langkawi tourism bubble, which is already in operation," she said. "Most of us in Singapore are already fully immunized, including the booster shot, so this isn't an issue."
The current requirements for entering Indonesia are that travellers be doubly vaccinated, as well as having spent at least 14 days in Singapore before their arrival. They must also submit a negative PCR test result within 72 hours of exiting Singapore and within 72 hours of arriving in Indonesia in order to be accepted.
Besides that, visitors must have insurance with a minimum coverage of 30,000 Singaporean dollars ($22,263) and use the government's COVID-19 tracking applications, which are available for free.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES
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