Discussions on potential expansion of travel lanes to be explored after Leaders’ Retreat
During the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat on January 25, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong revealed that Indonesia is open to discussing the extension of the bilateral Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTL) to additional destinations. While both countries may not be ready to implement this expansion immediately, Prime Minister Lee highlighted the importance of initiating discussions to ensure they are prepared when the conditions are right.
Indonesia’s Effort to Strengthen the Travel Bubble
Singapore has already unilaterally opened its VTL to Jakarta, and Indonesia has launched its own travel bubble for Batam and Bintan. Prime Minister Lee noted that Indonesia aims to make the bubble a success and attract more Singaporean visitors to these islands. Both countries are committed to exploring ways to expedite the process of expanding the bubble to other destinations.
Challenges Due to Diverging Covid-19 Situations
However, the expansion of travel will be contingent upon the evolving Covid-19 situations in both nations. Prime Minister Lee acknowledged that the pandemic’s impact has not been synchronised between the two countries, with fluctuations in case numbers often causing mutual concern. He emphasised that while Singapore has opened its VTL with Jakarta and Indonesia has done so with Batam and Bintan, further openings will require careful consideration of each country’s situation.
Travel Bubble Introduced for Batam and Bintan
On January 24, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Airlangga Hartato, announced that travellers from Singapore could enter Batam and Bintan without quarantine, but only within the designated travel bubble zones. This initiative aims to boost tourism in these areas, as both islands have maintained stable Covid-19 conditions.
