Sandiaga Uno, the Indonesian Tourism Minister, said in a press conference on 22 March that the proposed “safe travel corridor” between Singapore, Bintan and Batam is meant to attract only Singaporeans to visit Indonesia for holidays, and not the other way round.
He said that the government is not including Indonesians going to Singapore via the travel corridor because they want Singaporeans to go to Indonesia instead, adding that the tourism and creative economy ministry is focused on how tourists can visit Indonesia and not for locals to go abroad.
Uno also suggested that the travel corridor could even begin on 21 April 2021.
He added that three spots in Batam and two in Bintan can be visited by tourists safely amid the pandemic, and that the areas will be sealed; although domestic tourists who have been vaccinated and have a negative Covid-19 test result may enter.
Uno shed light on the discussions with Singapore, saying that the discussion between the two countries are still ongoing, led by the minister of foreign affairs.
He is hoping that the discussion can be pushed further with the visit of Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan later this week, to Jakarta.
Image source: trivago.sg