TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As many as 1,887,244 foreign tourists visited Batam City in Riau Islands Province last year, exceeding the set target of 1.8 million.

"Alhamdulillah (thank God), the number of tourist arrivals reached the target. According to data from BPS (Central Statistics Agency), the figure is 87,244 higher than the set target," Chief of the Batam City Tourism and Culture Office Ardiwinata said on Friday, Feb. 1.

The success was a result of the hard work of all related parties, including the government, the private sector and the public, to turn Batam into a comfortable city to visit, he said.

The Batam administration set the tourist arrivals target for this year at 2.4 million, similar to the target set by the Tourism Ministry.

He expressed optimism that the target could be achieved owing to the preparations the local government had been making since early this year.

"The government has developed infrastructure, while developers have built not only hotel rooms but also ballrooms for world-class MICE facilities," he said.

To attract more tourists, all relevant parties have set at least 114 tourism programs, he said.

According to BPS, the number of tourists visiting Riau Islands province reached 2,635,664 last year, up 23.16 percent from 2,139,962 the previous year.

Singapore tourists dominated tourist arrivals in the province, accounting for 49.66 percent of the overall tourist arrivals in 2018.

ANTARA