January 7, 2026 | 08:58 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data showed a surge in foreign visitors to Riau Islands in 11 months of 2025, said Hasan, the head of Riau Islands Tourism Office.
As of November 2025, the islands have seen over 1,790,000 foreign tourists, which means the Riau Islands have exceeded their medium-term development plan. "Our target was 1.76 million visits," he said on Wednesday, January 7, adding that the data excluded December figures.
Hasan said it's likely that the numbers will exceed two million once BPS releases the December data in February this year. "Since there was a significant increase in December. It was the moment of major celebrations of Christmas and New Year, which coincided with school holidays," said Hasan.
The year 2025 saw an extraordinary growth since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. In 2019, Hasan said, foreign tourist visits to Riau Islands reached nearly 3 million. "Meaning, foreign arrivals are being "reborn" after the hit during COVID-19. In 2024, we were at around 1.6 million visits, which means we recorded a nearly 20 percent hike," said Hasan.
From the data, the majority of foreign tourists came from Singapore at 49 percent, followed by Malaysia at 22 percent, 4 percent from China, 2 percent from India, and 1 percent from the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the occupancy rate for star-rated hotels in Riau Islands slipped by 7 points to 50 percent. The average length of stay for foreign and Indonesian guests at star-rated hotels in Riau Islands increased by 0.08 points to 1.94 nights.
Hasan attributed the foreign visit growth to the collaboration between all stakeholders, including tourism industry players. "The key to the progress of tourism lies in the commitment of regional leaders," said Hasan.
In addition, he also appreciated the areas that served as the entry points for foreign tourists, such as Batam, Tanjungpinang, Bintan, and Karimun. Despite the upsurge in foreign tourist visits, Hasan also underscored the minimal visits to other areas such as Anambas and Natuna, citing distant access to infrastructures.
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