General : New Batam-Penang Flights To Boost Tourism, Medical Travel - Wong

On August 28, George Town was informed that Batik Air will commence direct flights between Batam and Penang starting October 18, creating a new pathway to tap into Indonesia's Riau Islands' tourism market. State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai revealed that the route, as the first scheduled direct air link between Batam and Penang, would operate thrice weekly.

This development, he stated in a statement, opens avenues for Penang to explore new regional tourism markets in the Riau Islands and is a crucial step in expanding Indonesia as a source market while identifying lucrative visitor segments.

Wong highlighted Batam, situated approximately 30 kilometers south of Singapore, as one of the crucial economic, industrial, commercial, and tourism hubs in the Riau Islands, boasting a strategic position in the regional connectivity between Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. He further noted that Indonesia has been a significant tourist market for Penang, with an increasing number of Indonesian tourists visiting the state.

In the first seven months of this year, 201,657 Indonesian tourists entered Penang via Penang International Airport (PIA), marking a 4.58 percent rise compared to the same period last year, when 192,823 tourists arrived.

In addition to boosting tourism, Wong emphasized the potential of the Batam-Penang route to bolster Penang's medical tourism sector, owing to the state's extensive medical facilities, proficient healthcare services, and well-developed medical tourism ecosystem. He explained that the direct air connectivity between Batam and Penang presents an opportunity to further exploit the medical tourism market in the Riau Islands and transform passenger inflows into wider economic advantages and tourism investments.

Wong also emphasized that the new route would strengthen Penang's South-east Asian air network, especially as short-haul Asean markets play a pivotal role in bolstering the resilience of the tourism industry.

The first flight, OD359, departing from Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam at 11:30 am local time, is set to arrive at PIA at 1:55 pm. The return journey, flight OD358, scheduled to leave at 10:10 am and arrive at Hang Nadim International Airport at 10:50 am, has opened ticket bookings via Batik Air's official website.