The Riau Islands Provincial Tourism Office is actively working to increase foreign tourist arrivals through the Easy Access programme.
The Easy Access programme aims to reduce various tourism barriers and make it easier for tourists to enter the Riau Islands.
The Head of the Riau Islands Tourism Office, Guntur Sakti, stated that visa relaxation is a top priority. According to him, this policy has proven effective in boosting foreign tourist arrivals by the end of 2024, exceeding the target set in the Regional Medium-Term Development Plan, from 1.4 million to 1.6 million tourists.
“At the end of 2024, we received two visa relaxation incentives from the central government. In October, Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) holders [can get] a visa-free entry, and in December, there is a seven-day short visa at a cost of Rp250,000. This is an alternative to Easy Access to the Riau Islands,” Sakti told the press on Sunday, 4th of May 2025.
Sakti also noted that the Governor of the Riau Islands, Ansar Ahmad, is encouraging the modernisation of services at seaports, which serve as the entry points for foreign tourists, by installing autogates. At present, only two ports in the Riau Islands have implemented this automatic system.
“Smooth, modern, and competitive immigration services will be an attraction for global tourists while creating a safer and more comfortable experience for them,” he said.
In addition, the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections has responded positively to the Governor’s proposal regarding a new visa-free scheme for holders of certain residence permits in Singapore, such as the Employment Pass, Student Pass, Long Term Visit Pass, Singapore Pass, and Dependant Pass.
Therefore, Sakti is optimistic that the Easy Access programme will further increase foreign tourist arrivals to the Riau Islands in 2025.
Additionally, the number of foreign tourist visits to the Riau Islands in March 2025 increased by 2.54 percent compared to February 2025. Data from the Riau Islands Central Statistics Agency recorded a rise from 125,700 visits to 128,891 visits.
Head of the Riau Islands BPS, Margaretha Ari Anggorowati, said that the growth was driven by a significant spike in Bintan Regency by 79.51 percent and Tanjungpinang City by 27.42 percent.
“Batam remains the main entry point for foreign tourists to Riau Islands, recording 100,279 visits, followed by Bintan with 17,619 visits, Karimun 5,773, Tanjungpinang 5,218, and other areas with two visits,” said Margaretha at a press conference in Tanjungpinang on Friday, 2nd of May 2025.
In terms of countries of origin, the top five contributors of the most visits were:
- Singapore: 39,444 visits
- Malaysia: 24,372 visits
- China: 6,184 visits
- India: 4,432 visits
- Philippines: 2,580 visits