TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Regular international flight route from Singapore to the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Tanjung Kelayang, Belitung Island, is open again. The low-cost carrier airline from the Singapore Airlines group, Scoot, made its debut landing in one of Indonesia's priority tourist destinations on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
Scoot officially offers direct flights from Changi Airport, one of the busiest hubs in Southeast Asia, to Belitung twice a week. Daniel Alexander Napitupulu, director of the SEZ Tanjung Kelayang, stated that the inaugural flight was successful, with most of the passengers being foreign tourists from Singapore.
Daniel stated that the opening of this connectivity is supported by several facilities that support foreign tourists. "Belitung has hosted the G20 Ministerial Level, ASEAN Ministerial Level, and many other international events. The tourism ecosystem infrastructure is already well-prepared and of international quality," said Daniel when contacted through a messaging application on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
He stated that SEZ Tanjung Kelayang is not only popular among domestic tourists at present. The majority of foreign tourists visiting the tourist area come from Singapore, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Korea, Australia, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom.
Tourism in SEZ Tanjung Kelayang also contributes to the country's foreign exchange reserves. Unlike the complex and time-consuming flow of foreign exchange from the industrial sector, the distribution and penetration of money from the tourism sector flows down to the individual level with a very short, fast process chain.
In addition to contributing to the country's foreign exchange earnings, opening this flight route is expected to stimulate the local economy. Daniel stated that the government is encouraging activities in SEZ Tanjung Kelayang to collaboratively engage with the local community. "Such as Afternoon Tea with the Arsel Community and honey cultivation with the Pelabo Community," he said.
The government also encourages businesses to work with local car providers and to improve the quality of human resources to support local tourism. SEZ Tanjung Kelayang also actively collaborates with local MSMEs such as Batik Sepiak, and BICA Ceramic to be part of the tourist activities program for visitors to SEZ Tanjung Kelayang.
Furthermore, Daniel stated that amid the geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East, SEZ Tanjung Kelayang continues to synergize with the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Tourism, and local government officials to realize international regional flights together with Scoot.
"Today, one by one, the future of tourism, which is the driving force of economic growth and job creation, has been realized," said Daniel. According to him, the return of this international flight is not just the landing of an aircraft; it is also the launching of Belitung's economy onto the global stage.
Citing the official website of the National SEZ Council, the establishment of SEZ Tanjung Kelayang was carried out through Government Regulation Number 6 of 2016. This tourism SEZ has a geostrategic advantage, being located between Indonesia and the ASEAN countries, which are the target captive market. This SEZ, which was inaugurated by the 7th President, Joko Widodo, on March 14, 2019, is one of the 10 priority tourist destinations.
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