Bintan, Riau Islands (ANTARA) - Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Suryopratomo is optimistic that the number of Singaporean tourists visiting Lagoi integrated tourism zone in Bintan District, Riau Islands Province, through the travel bubble scheme, will continue to increase.
"I believe that if the travel bubble is conducted smoothly, there will be more tourists from Singapore going to Lagoi," he remarked here on Sunday.
Ambassador Suryopratomo was one of 35 tourists who firstly arrived at the resort area when it was re-opened for international travellers on February 25, 2022.
The people of Singapore welcome the implementation of the travel bubble among Bintan District, Batam City, and Singapore (BBS), considering that they have not been able to go abroad for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said
Hence, Ambassador Suryopratomo lauded the Riau Islands Provincial Government's endeavors to prepare the tourism activities and travel bubble scheme.
"Singapore itself implements a vaccinated travel lane (VTL) to enable international travelers to return from Batam City and Bintan District to the country without undergoing quarantine anymore,” he said.
He said he was pleased tò observe the inflow of Singaporean tourists into Lagoi after the travel bubble began to be implemented.
Meanwhile, General Manager of PT Bintan Resort Cakrawala (BRC) Abdul Wahab who operates the Lagoi integrated tourism zone informed that the Singaporean Government has restricted the number of tourists visiting Riau Islands in a week to only 350 people.
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"The ship from Singapore to Lagoi will depart on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. It will return to Singapore on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays," he noted.
He has been optimistic that the Singaporean authority may likely increase the number of the tourists who are allowed to travel to Riau Islands in one week if the tourism activities do not trigger additional COVID-19 cases.
Hence, Wahab has ensured that the health protocols in Lagoi area are imposed strictly.
"Hopefully, the travel bubble scheme will run well. We are striving to curb the transmission of COVID-19 to ensure the safety and comfort of all tourists in Lagoi," he added.
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