Natra Bintan wants more domestic guests

Tented accommodation Natra Bintan, a Tribute Portfolio Resort has rolled out glamping experiences with activities for couples on honeymoon, friends, families as well as corporates groups on incentive and team-building programmes – all in a bid to grow bookings from the domestic Indonesian market.

Natra Bintan, Marriott International’s first tented accommodation concept on Bintan island, comprises 100 safari-themed tents, each 45m² in size, which come with outdoor patios and lush gardens where guests can have a private barbecue party.

The resort is home to South-east Asia’s first and largest man-made seawater lagoon, the Crystal Lagoon. A variety of land and water activities, such as ATV rides, archery and cable ski, are available to guests. These are operated by Treasure Bay Bintan.

For the adventurous, the resort can arrange a guided kayak tour through the private mangroves, golfing at Bintan Golf Club, and hiking in the rainforest of Gunung Bintan. A Mangrove Discovery Tour and dinner at Kelong floating restaurant are also recommended activities.

Young guests are entertained with painting, martial arts, dance and picnics.

While the resort’s hardware and software offerings are attractive, Ratna Wahyuni, general manager of Natra Bintan, said her team face the challenge of raising the awareness of Bintan as a destination among domestic travellers.

“Bintan is not so popular among Indonesians yet. We still hear people asking where Bintan is, and even those who know Bintan will ask what can they do here,” Ratna added.

Natra Bintan made moves to court the domestic market during the pandemic. “We started building awareness among Indonesian travellers through promotional videos with Traveloka.”

More efforts are needed, especially in educating Indonesians about Bintan’s accessibility.

Ratna said not many are aware that there are daily flights from Jakarta to Raja Haji Fisabilillah Airport in Tanjung Pinang, just about an hour’s drive from the resort. Local travellers are not limited to the ferry service via Singapore – something that many perceive.

Calvine Vorry, Natra Bintan’s director of sales and marketing, said the resort is ideal for bringing people together. Families and friends staying together within a compound can arrange for a joint barbecue dinner.

Many corporate groups recognise the resort’s social bonding potential, making it a popular choice for team-building programmes. This year alone, Natra Bintan has hosted events from Indonesian financial institutions and oil companies. It will welcome a large event this September, organised by a tobacco manufacturer from Batam for more than 200 guests from Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam. This event will buyout 100 rooms.

Currently, the domestic market is 20 per cent of the total business at the resort. Its biggest market is Singapore, at 70 per cent, while China, India, and South Korea make up the rest.

Ratna wants to grow the domestic share by 10 to 15 per cent, and hopes that airfares between Jakarta and Bintan – often higher than that to Bali and other destinations with similar flight duration – would come down to facilitate travel.