Indonesia, Malaysia push for improved cross-border access

 

Indonesia and Malaysia cooperating on expanding access between Indonesia’s Riau Islands and Malaysia’s Johor state as well as enhancing tourism promotion.

The Indonesian consulate general in Johor and the Johor government are developing an agreement to enhance the connection between Johor and Batam Island, which is part of the Riau Islands. The plan is to have roll-on-roll-out (RoRo) ferry services between Johor and Batam, which will serve travellers, vehicles and goods.

Sigit Widiyanto, Indonesia consul general for Johor Bahru, said: “Both parties see the potential for access between Johor and Indonesia through Batam and Riau Islands to boost tourism traffic. A (scheduled) RoRo operation is a way to go. Travellers from Johor can use their cars to travel in Batam and vice versa – (just as how) Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand travellers (are) visiting each other over land.”

Both parties are also eager to promote cross-border trips to boost tourism, with plans to offer special discounts and rates for accommodation and other facilities to attract interest.

Sigit shared that “technical discussions with the local authority” are underway, so are discussions with industry players on promotions. “We hope that this will materialise this year,” he said.

In line with this commitment, the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) signed an MoU with Dewan Teraju Usahawan & Peniaga Bumiputra Negeri Johor Bumiputera Enterprenurs and Merchant Council of Johor (DTUPB) on the sidelines of ASEAN Tourism Forum 2025 with the intention of boosting traffic between Indonesia and Johor.

Ismail Karim, president of the council, said at the signing ceremony: “To effectively introduce Johor’s tourism stakeholders and packages to the Indonesian market, it is important for us to collaborate with ASITA, which has a network of 7,000 members spanning all 36 Indonesian provinces.

“I hope that this signing is the first step towards a strong Johor-Indonesia partnership, particularly in the vital tourism sector, which will benefit both regions.”

Nunung Rusmiati, president of the national board of ASITA, said both organisations have a “longstanding relationship”, and the agreement will “take collaboration to the next level”.

She added: “While Johor seeks to attract more Indonesian visitors, ASITA is also committed to promoting Indonesia to travellers from Johor and Malaysia. We look forward to mutual benefits from this enhanced partnership.”

Budijanto Ardiansjah, secretary general of the national board of ASITA told TTG Asia that cooperation with Johor’s travel industry has so far been primarily focused on Batam and Riau Islands. However, DTUPB wants to expand coverage across Malaysia, as the country prepares for Visit Malaysia Year 2026.

Budijanto expects to see increasing demand among travellers from Johor to explore beyond Riau Islands, which will result in demand for more direct flights. Currently, only AirAsia operates two daily direct flights between Jakarta and Johor Bahru.

“Although connecting to and from Johor through Singapore is very convenient, more direct flights and RoRo ferry services will open up more options for travellers,” he said.

Budijanto also expects Johor’s travel players to come up with more creative and attractive packages to entice Indonesian travellers.

-TTG Asia.