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Foreign tourists to Batam decline after terror threat
The terror threat in Batam during Idul Fitri caused the number of foreign tourist arrivals in the city, a major business and tourist destination for Singaporeans, to fall dramatically in July, amounting to a 14.52 percent decrease compared to June figures.
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A beach landscape during sunset in Batam, Riau Islands. (Shutterstock/File)
T
span style="line-height: 1.6em;">The terror threat in Batam during Idul Fitri caused the number of foreign tourist arrivals in the city, a major business and tourist destination for Singaporeans, to fall dramatically in July, amounting to a 14.52 percent decrease compared to June figures.
Central Statistics Agency (BPS) distribution and service statistics deputy Sasmito Hadi Wibowo said Thursday that it recorded 103,647 foreign tourist arrivals in Batam in July, a 14.52 decrease compared to the previous month at 121,253. Compared to the same period last month, the number also went down by 5.72 percent year-on-year (yoy). "The bomb threat has significantly decreased the number of tourist arrivals from Singapore and Malaysia," Sasmito said.
From January to July, Batam welcomed 837,446 foreign tourists, a 4.33 percent decrease compared to the same period last year.
(Read also: Over 1 million foreign tourists visit Indonesia in July)
A letter threatening terror attacks on a number of locations in Batam and Bintan during Idul Fitri was found in Singapore in early July. The letter, which was addressed to the manager of the Fast Ferry service at the HarbourFront Center and received on July 4, stated that a number of sites would be blown up, such as the Port of Batam, Nagoya shopping district, Telani Port in Bintan and Tanjungpinang City. It also said that members of the group who would carry out the attacks had arrived at the locations two weeks earlier.
Following the distribution of the letter, Riau Islands Police went into high-alert and posted additional personnel at the sites mentioned in the letter. (kes)
