Gold Coast port: Adding another entry point for foreign tourists
This article has been translated by PwC Indonesia as part of our Indonesia Infrastructure News Service. PwC Indonesia has not checked the accuracy of, and accepts no responsibility for the content.
Bisnis Indonesia - Pelabuhan Gold Coast: Menambah pintu masuk wisman
17 April 2025
By Rifki Setiawan Lubis
Bisnis, Batam — The Gold Coast International Ferry Port in Golden City Bengkong, Batam, officially began operating on Monday (14/4). The 20,000-square-meter port expands access for foreign tourists through Batam.
The newest port in Batam was inaugurated by the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Affairs (IPK) Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, the National Police Chief General, Listyo Sigit Prabowo and the Governor of the Riau Islands, Ansar Ahmad.
The Gold Coast International Ferry Port was built by PT Aneka Sarana Sentosa, which is the manager of the Golden City Bengkong tourism area. This port will serve the Batam-Malaysia route.
The President Director of PT Aneka Sarana Sentosa, Abby, said that the presence of the port, which was built since 2021, could improve connectivity between Batam and neighbouring countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore.
"This port serves the Stulang Laut and Berjaya Waterfront routes in Malaysia. We are also in the process of opening a route to Singapore," he said after the inauguration.
The 20,000-square-meter port has a terminal building of 2,160 square meters and a parking area of 4,420 square meters. The parking area can accommodate 150 cars and 70 motorbikes.
The terminal building is equipped with CIQP (customs, immigration, quarantine and port) facilities, including harbourmaster, health quarantine, animal, fish and plant quarantine, and port authority. "This port also meets the standards according to the international security code, the ISPS Code," said Abby.
In fact, this port aims to increase foreign tourist visits to Batam. In addition to Gold Coast, Batam also has four other international ferry ports, namely Batam Centre Ferry Port, Harbour Bay Ferry Port, Nongsapura Ferry Port and Sekupang Port.
Abby explained that Gold Coast Ferry Port offers a number of advantages. When foreign tourists arrive, they can already enjoy the integrated tourism area in Bengkong Golden City, which includes hotels, restaurants, souvenir and culinary centres, cafes and beach clubs.
The Riau Islands Maritime Tourism Association (Aspabri) considers the presence of the Gold Coast Bengkong International Ferry Terminal to be an ideal alternative option to support tourist visits, especially tour groups from Batam and Malaysia.
Chairman of the Riau Islands Aspabri Advisory Board, Surya Wijaya, said that this terminal has been in operation for around a month, and was specifically designed to accommodate tour group services.
"The concept is indeed for a special port for tourists and tour groups, so that they don’t have to line for long and have more comfortable access, because its use is not mixed with the public," he said as reported by Antara, (15/4).
According to Surya, currently only travel agents can access this service, with Prima Tour as the Dolphin operator. With this system, tourist comfort increases, because they do not have to line like at public ports.
However, he also mentioned that there are still challenges ahead. "Currently there is only one ship in operation. It departs from Batam at 10:00 a.m. and returns from Malaysia at 16:45. For tour groups, ideally it should be departing at 7 a.m.," he said.
The plan is to add two more ferry fleets in May 2025 to accommodate the needs of tour groups earlier.
Surya also added that the location of the Gold Coast Ferry Terminal is closer to the Malaysian sea border, such as Stulang Laut Johor compared to other terminals, such as Batam Centre. "There are currently many travel agents who have been involved and can use the services at Gold Coast."
Although current demand and fleet are still limited, he is optimistic that in the future this terminal will be an alternative for group tourists and also support the tourism business in Batam.
Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono hopes that Gold Coast will become a new icon for transportation gateways, increasing regional connectivity and Batam tourism, which ultimately contributes to improving the economy of Batam and Riau Islands.
"The presence of Gold Coast will be able to increase connectivity with neighbouring countries. In the long term, it can really optimise economic growth and open up employment opportunities," he explained.
He believes that Gold Coast has great potential in attracting foreign tourist visits. Its presence is increasingly needed, given the global economic conditions confronting a trade war.
AHY believes that tourism has big chances to become an alternative for economic growth in Riau Islands. "In the midst of the trade war situation, Riau Islands can capture good opportunities in the tourism sector," he said.
Based on data from the Statistics Indonesia (BPS), foreign tourist visits to the Riau Islands show an increasing trend, although its performance is still far below the achievements before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last year, foreign tourist visits to Bumi Segantang Lada continued to increase at 8.9% to 1,667,081 visits. Meanwhile, visits in 2019 were recorded at 2,864,795 people.
Riau Islands recorded several main entry points for foreign tourists, including Batam, Bintan, Karimun and Tanjung Pinang.
Batam is the main entry point that dominates visits, reaching 1,326,831 people (79.60%).
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