Sigit (centre), with (from left) Rumi, Aziza, Andria and Tan during a panel session at the trade dialogue in Johor Baru. — Courtesy photos
TOURISM in Johor, including medical tourism, is experiencing significant growth with over one million Indonesians visiting in the first nine months of this year.
Indonesian Consul General in Johor Baru Sigit Suryantoro Widiyanto said approximately 300,000 Malaysians visited the Riau Islands during the same period.
“Indonesians come here for medical tourism, shopping and sightseeing,” he said during a special trade dialogue at the Indonesian Consulate in Johor Baru.
He said he anticipated visitor numbers to increase with the introduction of the special border treatment (SBT) initiative.
Over 70 business leaders attended the dialogue held at the Indonesian Consulate in Johor Baru. Sigit (front row, fourth from right), flanked by Tan on his right and Rumi.
This initiative was recently discussed between Johor Tourism Department and their Indonesian counterparts from Riau.
Sigit remarked, “I see the SBT as a chance to enhance and support tourism for both countries.”
Under this proposal, Johoreans can use their identity cards in the Riau Islands, including Batam, to access special discounts on hotels, healthcare, tourist attractions, restaurants and shopping.
Similarly, Indonesians with Riau identity cards will receive comparable discounts in Johor.
The dialogue organised by Johor-Indonesia Business Chamber (JIBC) aimed to facilitate discussions on boosting bilateral trade between Johor and Indonesia.
It was attended by over 70 business leaders.
Also present were Indonesian Investment Promotion Centre Singapore director Andria Buchara, Indonesian Embassy trade attache Aziza Rahmaniar Salam, JIBC president Samuel Tan and his deputy Rumi Amjed.
Currently, trade between Johor and Indonesia represents less than 7% of the state’s total trade with the world.
Sigit emphasised, “There are numerous opportunities for businesses to flourish between our nations.
“Dialogues and events like this are essential for exploring these opportunities.”
The session addressed various issues including legislative challenges, the potential transformation of Tanjung Belungkur ferry terminal into an international roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) terminal for Indonesian vehicles, and finding Indonesian suppliers for raw materials.
Participants also explored investment opportunities in Indonesia, government incentives, policies under the new president and strategies to attract more Indonesian businesses, particularly restaurants, to Johor.
Other discussions focused on attracting more Indonesian students to Johor’s private schools and expanding medical tourism.
Addressing a query about allowing Indonesian nurses to fill vacancies in Malaysian private hospitals, Sigit said Indonesia was willing to provide nurses due to a surplus.
“Currently, Malaysian regulations do not permit Indonesian nurses to work here.
“We can discuss this issue with our Malaysian counterparts,” he said, adding that Malaysia currently had a freeze on quota applications to hire migrant workers.
Meanwhile, Tan expressed gratitude to Sigit and his team for their support in promoting cross-border trade.
He highlighted JIBC’s commitment to fostering grassroots-level business discussions in both countries.
“I recently led a delegation to Jakarta’s trade expo which featured over 1,000 booths.
“The country offers many opportunities and we hope our chamber will bridge businesses in both nations,” he said.
Tan also announced an upcoming Johor-Indonesia economic business summit in Johor Baru in January which aimed to involve over 100 Indonesian companies.
“We invite businesses from both countries to join the chamber,” he added.
Interested parties can join via www.johorindonesia.org
