A wave of optimism is sweeping through the Riau Islands Province (Kepri), as foreign tourist arrivals up to April 2025 show a significant increase compared to the previous year.
BATAMCLICK.COM: Hasan, Head of the Kepri Tourism Department, revealed that according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), a total of 535,000 foreign tourists visited Kepri between January and April 2025—an 11 percent rise from the 480,225 visitors recorded during the same period in 2024.
“And this doesn’t even include the long weekend holidays in May and June. We’re confident the numbers will keep rising,” Hasan said on Sunday, speaking from Tanjungpinang.
The growth, he noted, is driven in part by new visa policies rolled out by the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections (Imipas) in October and December 2024. These include visa waivers for Singapore permanent residents and the introduction of a short-term visa allowing seven-day stays at a cost of just Rp250,000 per person.
“Since these policies were introduced, tourist arrivals—especially from Singapore—have surged, reinforcing Kepri’s position as a top cross-border destination,” Hasan said.
The provincial government has set a 2025 target of 1.7 million international tourist arrivals, surpassing the 1.6 million visits recorded in 2024.
“That’s a 100,000 increase, so we need to double our efforts to reach it,” he added.
Among the strategies to hit this goal, Kepri is working closely with the Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru through the Special Border Treatment (SBT) Jiran Istimewa (JIWA) program. This initiative offers incentives to tourists from Johor, such as 10-20% discounts on hotel stays, dining, and travel packages.
The province is also building tourism promotion partnerships with other Indonesian regions, including Central Java, Lampung, and North Maluku, to attract both domestic and international visitors.
“We’re fully supporting international-scale tourism events hosted by cities and regencies across Kepri, like the Bintan Mandiri Marathon later this year. A press conference with the Ministry of Tourism is scheduled soon in Jakarta,” Hasan said.
He emphasized that tourism remains a key priority for the local government as a driver of economic growth across the province.
