Episode 64 - Abdul Wahab, Group GM, Bintan Resorts International - a podcast by Mass Participation World

We round off this week on The Aid Station with a trip to the resort island of Bintan, Indonesia just an hour's ferry ride from Singapore to meet Abdul Wahab, Group GM, Bintan Resorts International.

Bintan has developed a reputation as a Mass Participant destination particularly for people from Singapore with a portfolio of events including Tour de Bintan, Indofood IRONMAN 70.3, Bintan Marathon and Triathlon built up over the past 15 years.

The island has been hit hard by COVID-19 with visitor arrivals of around 90,000 per month in January plummeting to just a handful of people - mostly returning Indonesians.

"Typically we had five ferries from Singapore each weekday and 10-14 on the weekends. We now have one per week with sometimes only 3-5 people on it". Hotels across the island have been moth-balled and thousands of staff are out of work.

"The one positive is that we have remained totally COVID-free and the hope is that we may soon be able to open up to events but that will require agreement between Singapore and Indonesia to re-open the border".

Listen to my talk with Wahab here https://youtu.be/53oTnM1Z2Eg

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