VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 12 - The planned travel bubble between Indonesia and Singapore could aid a recovery in the national tourism sector, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Indonesian envoy to Singapore.

The Indonesian government has already made efforts to recover the tourism sector, including deliberations on creating a travel bubble, said Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore, Suryo Pratomo.

“Amid the obstacles and challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indonesian government and stakeholders in the tourism sector are consistently trying to revitalize tourism, which has been hugely affected by the pandemic,” wrote the ambassador in an official press release issued by the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore on Thursday.

In the first stage of its implementation, the travel bubble between the two countries will initially run between Singapore and Bintan, Riau Islands.

During a visit to Bintan at the end of January this year, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, had said that Bintan is ready for a limited opening of its border through the travel bubble.

In addition, he pointed out, the implementation of health protocols in the Bintan Resort Area and other areas is extremely strict.

“Bintan, among other tourism destinations, is ready,” he remarked.

To ensure that plans for a limited opening of the Bintan border run smoothly, the Tourism Office of Riau Islands has invited a cleanliness certificate publisher in Singapore for checking the implementation of health protocols in the region, according to head of the office, Buralimar.

The certification from SG Clean is needed to convince travelers from Singapore to plan a holiday in Bintan, Buralimar said. (Antaranews)