The Residence Bintan, shared why
the company decided to invest on
the island: “Bintan is situated in a
very strategic location in South-east
Asia. The island is surrounded by
many thriving economies, including
Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia,
as well as its sister islands like Batam.
This makes Bintan a very ideal location
for both businesses and tourists.
“With many luxury properties on the
island, Bintan has already established
itself as an important destination.
On top of that, it has grown a lot in
terms of visibility with (government)
initiatives such as the Batam-Bintan
Crossborder (an event to develop the
Singapore and Malaysian markets for
Batam and Bintan) last year.
“We believe there will be many
forthcoming initiatives such as these
that will further put Bintan on the map,
which is why we have also chosen to
open a property there. The Residence
Bintan can be part of these initiatives
to boost the tourism economy in and
around the island.”
Singapore is the main market for
Bintan, being the closest country to
it, but resorts are also seeing a good
international market mix.
Alpha Eldiansyah, area general
manager of Laguna Bintan, said: “Our
guests (to Banyan Tree Bintan) come
from different parts of the world.
Singapore as the closest country to
Bintan remains our main market,
followed by China, Australia, the UK,
Germany, Japan and others.
“We also saw a notable increase
of Indonesian travellers visiting our
resort. This is a result of both our
ongoing exposure to Indonesia market
and better accessibility through
Tanjung Pinang airport.
“Our guests vary from couples to
families who are celebrating special
occasions such as engagements and
wedding anniversaries, or who are
simply seeking a romantic getaway.”
Similarly for The Sanchaya, Olovson
said: “As we are only an hour away
from Singapore, it definitely makes it
our largest market.
“With that said, we also welcome
visitors from around the world,
including from other parts of South-east
Asia, Hong Kong, Australia, the Middle
East, US and Europe. We have hosted
celebrities, artists and Middle Eastern
royalty.”
The Residence Bintan, which
opened in February, is targeting
the neighbouring region, especially
Singapore and Indonesia, and Asia-
Pacific.
Xie said: “Demographically, we target
guests in their 20s to 40s, couples and
families. We also target larger groups
for corporate meetings and weddings,
since we have large spaces and activities
suitable for such events.”
Many travellers from around the
world combine Singapore with Bintan,
however, some resorts are claiming they
have seen travellers choosing to stay
longer in Bintan.
Laguna Bintan’s Alpha said: “Some
guests stay with us as part of their
city-resort twinning vacations, whereby
they visit Singapore for shopping and
city entertainment, then stay in Bintan
to relax in our resort as the cool finale
of their leisure holiday. Guests from
longhaul markets enjoy longer stays at
Banyan Tree Bintan, only transiting via
Singapore.”
Olovson said: “To Singapore locals
and expats, we have primarily promoted
The Sanchaya and Bintan as an idyllic
getaway option in its own right.
“To travellers further afield, we have
found that promoting The Sanchaya as
an extension of Singapore makes sense,
given our proximity to the city. If you
live in Hong Kong or Thailand or so,
everyone travels at least once to explore
Singapore. Then you stay there for a few
days, and afterwards continue out to The
Sanchaya.”
Luxury resorts are also doubling
up on efforts to provide the best
programming possible for their high-
paying guests.
Said Xie: “We have a wide range of
facilities and activities that cater to all
groups and ages. This includes romantic
set-ups for couples, water and land
sports for sports enthusiasts, and kid-
friendly activities like cooking classes
and bird-house painting. We also have
a variety of marine activities such as
kayaking, sailing and wind-surfing.
“Being near nature is also an
advantage – we have tour guides to bring
guests on experiences such as mountain
trekking, mangrove tours and deep-
sea fishing. For guests who like local
experiences, we can arrange transport for
them to visit the local market. We also
have our own resort artisans who are
skilled in batik painting and tie-dye if
guests prefer to experience local activities
within the resort.”
At The Sanchaya, guests have a choice
to simply relax at the cabanas or by
the infinity pool, or have a more active
day with a long list of activities such as
croquet with tea or Pimm’s on the lawn
“New York has
its Hamptons,
Sydney the Blue
Mountains and
Rome its Naples.
(Singapore has
Bintan.)”
Magnus Olovson
Estate manager, The Sanchaya
TTG Asia luxury | May 2018 37