Talks to be held on making new travel bubble 2-way

Singapore will discuss with Indonesia how it can make the new travel bubble for its visitors to Bintan and Batam a two-way one, hopefully without taking too long, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

"We will discuss with them and see how we can expedite things," PM Lee told Singapore reporters after the Leaders' Retreat. "The ministries, particularly the transport ministries, will be talking to each other on this matter."

Speaking at a joint media conference with President Joko Widodo earlier, PM Lee said both leaders had agreed to continue discussions to expand air and sea travel to more destinations in Indonesia.

"But we have to take into account the Covid-19 situation, in particular the outbreak of the Omicron variant, and we will do so at a pace that both sides are comfortable with, taking into account our respective public health situations," he added.

Indonesia announced the start of the travel bubble for visitors from Singapore to the two islands on Monday, but Singapore requires a seven-day stay-home notice for returning visitors - unless they travel via the vaccinated travel lane (VTL) on designated flights from Jakarta.

"We would like to go further with that, and the Indonesians would also like to go further," PM Lee told reporters. "We have proposed to them: How about we do a bilateral VTL to more destinations?... Let's discuss it so that when conditions are suitable, we are able to do it."

Mr Widodo said both sides are currently finalising cooperation on vaccine recognition and aligning the interoperability of their platforms for tracking individuals and protecting them against the virus.

On Monday, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said Indonesia was prepared to launch the travel bubble, as Covid-19 cases on the two islands are under control.

Under the arrangement, travellers from Singapore are allowed to enter Indonesia for a holiday at the Nongsa Sensation and Lagoi Bintan resorts via Batam's Nongsapura ferry terminal and Bintan's Bandar Bentan Telani ferry terminal. Besides having to remain within the resort throughout their stay, they must be fully vaccinated and have stayed in Singapore for at least 14 days prior to their arrival, among other requirements.

Indonesian officials hope the bubble can be widened. Dr Frans Teguh, senior adviser to Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno, told The Straits Times: "If the travel bubble runs smoothly, then... it could be expanded while we stick to strict health protocols."

Batam Tourism Agency head Ardiwinata pointed out that more than 95 per cent of Batam's eligible residents are fully vaccinated, and a major drive to give booster jabs to workers in the tourism sector is ongoing: "We want Singaporeans to have the confidence to come to Batam."

"We are ready," he said, adding: "We also hope Singapore would go easy on its people returning home from trips to Batam."

Mr Andy Fong, chairman of Batam's Nongsa Sensation, which is within the travel bubble, said workers were taking extra precautions to ensure visitors' safety. He said all staff in the resort area had taken booster shots.

"We are sure if this stage runs smoothly, they will expand (the bubble) to other areas such as Batam Centre, Harbour Bay and Sekupang," he said. "Whether this succeeds depends a lot on us."