The number of tourists visiting Batam has increased this year, particularly from Malaysia and Singapore, according to data.
The short distance between Batam and the two countries and a wide vary of transportation choices are among the reasons for the increase.
According to data from the Batam city administration’s tourism department, the number of foreign tourists visiting Batam in 2012 reached 1.22 million people, up from 1.16 million the previous year. The tourists came mainly from China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and the Philippines.
The Riau Statistics Agency (BPS) reports that the number of Singaporean tourists visiting Batam in February reached 69,378 people and 22,850 Malaysians.
“The high number of Malaysian and Singaporean tourists visiting Batam is understandable, given that Batam borders the two neighboring countries,” said the Batam administration’s head of tourism, Yusfa Hendri, on Tuesday.
He said many tourists from Malaysia and Singapore visited Batam on weekends. “They stay here for a relatively short period; three days at the most,” said Yusfa.
Tourists from Malaysia and Singapore are interested in local cuisine, particularly fresh sea food, shopping for basic commodities and for wellness treatments, he said.
Yusfa said that his administration was optimistic that the 1.25 million foreign tourists targeted to visit Batam in 2013 was achievable. Moreover, the number of tourists from China and Korea also has also been increasing over the past few months.
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