Singaporeans looking to pack their luggage and get away from our concrete jungle to Batam and Bintan may well have their wish soon — but for Indonesians looking to cross the other way, they’ll have to wait.
Recently, there’s been talk from Indonesia about a ‘safe travel corridor’ being proposed between Singapore and the 2 Indonesian islands.
This led to some excitement, but the move comes with an apparent caveat.
Indonesia only intends for the travel corridor to be one-way, for Singapore tourists, according to an Indonesian minister.
Indonesia Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno is quoted by Channel NewsAsia (CNA) as saying the travel corridor won’t be open for Indonesia tourists.
Their intention is to have Singaporeans come to Indonesia, he also said during a press conference on Monday (22 Mar).
There will be sections in Bintan and Batam designated for safe tourism, with plans for 5 such designated places.
They are places that Singaporeans may have visited prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Indonesian citizens can enter these spots if they’ve been vaccinated and have a negative Covid-19 test result, as well as take periodic routine testing.
Mr Uno also said that talks with Singapore are ongoing, adding that he’s had several discussions previously.
As Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan makes his way around Southeast Asia this week, he’s also going to stop by Indonesia.
There’ll presumably be more progress on the talks during these meetings.
If all goes well, we may see the safe travel corridor set up on 21 Apr.
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Featured image adapted from TripZilla.
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