Two more ferries serve Bintan-Singapore route

Fadli ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Bintan, Riau Islands   |  Mon, 06/22/2009 10:46 PM  |  National

PT Bintan Resort Cakrawala (BRC), the management of Lagoi, an international tourism destination in Bintan, Riau Islands, provided two additional ferries worth US$ 21.2 million Monday to serve the route linking Bintan to Singapore.

Riau Islands Governor Ismeth Abdullah and Singapore's Senior Minister for Trade and Industry and Education S Iswaran witnessed the inauguration of the ferries, which have a capacity of 300 passengers each.

Armed with the new ferries, BRC is targeting an 11 percent increase in tourists to 400,000 visitors this year from some 360,000 tourists last year. BRC president director Chin Chow Yoon said the company's investment in the ferries was part of its efforts to develop Lagoi.

“The ferries have the latest technology and can tackle big waves to ensure passengers' comfort,” he said.

BRC has been operating three ferries, serving the Tanah Merah, Singapore to Lagoi route, since 1991, mostly transporting foreign tourists from Europe and America, and have a combined capacity of 856 passengers.

Riau Islands Governor Ismeth Abdullah said the additional two ferries in Lagoi could help his government reach its target of 1.9 million foreign tourists this year, up from 1.7 million last year.

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