Hopefully, in the near future, the permit will be issued so the port can operateTanjungpinang, Riau Islands (ANTARA) - The Transportation Ministry has allowed the reopening of the route from Karimun International Port, Riau Islands to Stulang Laut Ferry Terminal, Malaysia, after a gap of two years.
The proposal for reopening the Karimun-Stulang Laut route was submitted in February 2022, after the government decided to reopen the international voyage routes from Bintan and Batam districts to Malaysia and Singapore, head of the Riau Islands Transportation Office, Junaidi, informed here on Wednesday.
However, Karimun Port has not yet been made operational because the Directorate General of Immigration has not issued any permit, he said.
The Riau Islands regional government is optimistic that the Ministry of Law and Human Rights will support the international route access from Karimun to increase the number of tourists coming from Malaysia.
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"Hopefully, in the near future, the permit will be issued so the port can operate," Junaidi said.
Access to international ports in Batam and Bintan has been reopened since the end of February 2022, he added.
Several policy improvements have been made to increase international tourist arrivals, such as the revoking of PCR test requirements for tourists arriving from Malaysia and Singapore at Bandar Telani Bentan Port in Bintan, Batam Centre International Ferry Terminal, Harbour Bay, and Nongsa Port.
A similar no-PCR test policy has also been implemented for tourists arriving at Sri Bintan Pura International Port, Tanjungpinang city.
"The number of tourists who enter Riau Islands is slowly increasing," Junaidi noted.
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Head of the Riau Islands Tourism Office, Buralimar, said he hopes that the Directorate General of Immigration will promptly issue a permit allowing Karimun Port to operate.
The acceleration of port operations in Karimun needs to be done to increase tourist visits from Malaysia ahead of Eid, he added.
"Malaysians have many relatives who live in Riau Islands whom they will visit before Eid, ending the two-year longing of not seeing each other," he remarked.
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Translator: Nikolas P, Kenzu T
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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